Strengths and Weaknesses of Design Arguments

Created by: aaronwraith161999
Created on: 05-12-17 09:26


	Strengths and Weaknesses
	AdvantagesGetting Started Paley’s Watch Analogy supports the argument as it explains the theory of design qua purpose. Tennant’s theory of the aesthetic principle attempts to prove God’s existence through the acceptance of the beauty in the world. Tennant's anthropic principle suggests that things in the world work in perfect harmony and order. This had to have been a designer. Richard Swinburne proposed the idea of probability, whereby he proposes which is more probable? Random acts of chance, or designed by God?	Disadvantages Richard Dawkins on the concept of evolution and natural selection, suggests it is possible for random occurrences to happen. Against aesthetic stands J.S. Mill, who suggests the Problem of Evil by asking: if there is beauty in the world, why does evil exist? The idea of the anthropic principle suggests that order is a rare occurrence, it isn't as we can observe order within the world. There are two criticisms against Swinburne as suggested by Hume: 1) Infinite Regression and 2) Principle of Causality (God could be finite, not infinite).
	Evaluation Both of these sides of the arguments could potentially have points which give them both validity. However, the arguments from the disadvantages could be stronger due to the basis that both Hume and J.S. Mill both propose extremely likely counterarguments towards the strengths of the argument. Based solely on opinion, the weaknesses completely outweigh the strengths in terms of validity. However, that is not to suggest that the strengths have NO validity at all, they do but only proportionally smaller than the disadvantages.

Strengths and Weaknesses

AdvantagesGetting Started

Paley’s Watch Analogy supports the argument as it explains the theory of design qua purpose.
Tennant’s theory of the aesthetic principle attempts to prove God’s existence through the acceptance of the beauty in the world.
Tennant's anthropic principle suggests that things in the world work in perfect harmony and order. This had to have been a designer.
Richard Swinburne proposed the idea of probability, whereby he proposes which is more probable? Random acts of chance, or designed by God?

Disadvantages

Richard Dawkins on the concept of evolution and natural selection, suggests it is possible for random occurrences to happen.
Against aesthetic stands J.S. Mill, who suggests the Problem of Evil by asking: if there is beauty in the world, why does evil exist?
The idea of the anthropic principle suggests that order is a rare occurrence, it isn't as we can observe order within the world.
There are two criticisms against Swinburne as suggested by Hume: 1) Infinite Regression and 2) Principle of Causality (God could be finite, not infinite).

Evaluation

Both of these sides of the arguments could potentially have points which give them both validity. However, the arguments from the disadvantages could be stronger due to the basis that both Hume and J.S. Mill both propose extremely likely counterarguments towards the strengths of the argument. Based solely on opinion, the weaknesses completely outweigh the strengths in terms of validity. However, that is not to suggest that the strengths have NO validity at all, they do but only proportionally smaller than the disadvantages.

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Strengths and Weaknesses of Design Arguments