The Teleological Argument

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  • The Teleological Argument
    • Looks at the world around us and attempts to use that as evidence for God’s existence.
    • Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274) Summa Theologica
      • - Intelligent being required to direct world to its end.
      • -  By analogy: an arrow can’t reach its target without as skilled archer.
      • - Therefore, there must be an intelligent being that directs unintelligent things to their end. This is God.
      • - Just as a formal garden shows evidence of a gardener so the regularity of the universe shows evidence of a designer (design qua regularity).
    • William Paley Natural Theology (1802)
      • - Look at a watch – it is so complex it must have a designer even if we hadn’t seen it being made.
      • - The Universe is the same and so it too must have an intelligent designer. This is God. (Design qua purpose.)
      • - Look at the regularity in the universe. (E.g. the Eye or the rotation of the planets). This is evidence of God.(Design qua regularity.)
    • Responses to Weakness
      • To Darwin: - Most Christians recognise that the Bible is not a literal record. - Natural selection doesn’t account for morality or appreciation of the arts.
    • Strengths
      • FR Tennant and the Anthropic principle: The world is so exactly right to create the precise environment for man to evolve that it must have been planned. If the Earth were closer to or further from the Sun, we may not exist. The chance of this happening is so slim that someone must have done it. The Universe has been made for us.
      • Swinburne: the simplest and most logical explanation is that God planned it. (He is following a principle called Ockham’s Razor-the idea that the simplest explanation is the most likely)
      • Answers the question, ‘Why is there anything at all?’
      • Coheres with experience – The chances of the universe happening are
    • Weakness
      • Hume Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1757) - ? Analogy – should be something organic. He knew the conclusion he wanted so used a watch which needs a watchmaker. Should have used a cabbage or carrot? ? Cause: cannot go from evidence from this world to a BOOC God. Could be a God that died, a committee of Gods etc. Simply cannot know. ? Scales example: We can see the left side is up but can’t see the right side. We do not know what is causing this. Could be an elephants foot or a ton of feathers.
      • Epicurean Thesis: Entirely possible it’s all due to chance or randomness. If the universe is made up of a finite number of particles with infinite time, they could eventually come up with the combination.
      • Charles Darwin The Origin of Species (1858) - The world has gradually evolved without a designer.It is the result of chance. - What seems to be design is the result of natural selection. They exist now because they fit in. - If there was a designer he would also be wasteful e.g. species dying out.
      • J.S. Mill Discussions and Dissertations (1875) - The world is not just or ordered (Flaws & Evil).Either God is not omnipotent or not omnibenevolent. Evil suggests this is not the J-C God. - This designer is morally flawed. I would not be described a s a good ship builder if my ships were leaky buckets at the mercy of storms and wild waves.

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