Teleological argument

?

Teleological argument

Advantages

  • While other arguments can be challenged by modern science, Tennant's Anthropic principal- works alongside theories e.g. evolution; "the survival of the fittest presupposes the arrival of the fit"
  • Big bang supported with idea that it was so specific- infinite number of possibilities where it didn't happen- thus must've been designed
  • Evidence for D.A; strong and empirical- makes use of provable concepts- world has design qua purpose and design qua regularity.
  • Evidence; recognisable in our world e.g. positioning of stars in specific way- shows signs of purpose
  • Evidence strengthens argument; Hoyle, "concept of world coming into existence without a designer is as ludicrous and impossible as a tornado blowing through a junkyard and forming a fully functioning jet"
  • Paley's watch analogy is successful- makes D.A accessible on a fairly universal scale and makes a successful comparison between a watch needing a designer to work in a certain way and the universe needing a design to work in a certain way.
  • Human eye extension- organic e.g. allows concept of design to be clearly evident in all of us.
  • Swinburne argues from the angle of probability - “... whereas the Design argument does not prove the existence of God, it does make it more probable than not that God exists.”
  • Swinburne accepted Anthropic Principle looking at probability – universe could just have easily been chaotic, but the fact it is not suggests it has been designed.  It is far more probable that the universe is a result of design rather than random chance.
  • Swinburne – Science and religion can come together. “The very success of science in showing us how deeply orderly the natural world is provides strong grounds for believing that there is an even deeper cause of that order.”
  • Archbishop Temple scientific explanations of the universe can be made compatible with the argument: the big bang, evolution.  “The doctrine of evolution leaves the argument for an intelligent Creator and Governor of the earth stronger than it was before”.

Disadvantages

  • R.Dawkins; argued against any coalition of design and evolution- stating the latter is simply a 'blind' random process and purpose, with no direction and certainty nor anyone controlling it.
  • Religious sceptics- question; if God is omnipotent, why did he create evolution, why didn't he just create the perfect form of every species from the start?
  • Although universe shows unquestionable signs of both purpose and regularity, science counters this with quantum physics- it's suggested that there are particles in our universe that work randomly and agains natural laws. the particles are unpredictable and their presence suggests lack of design and a possibility of world flowing same idea
  • Darwin's theory of evolution- rather than evolution being a sign of clear deign, could just give appearance of design- happened randomly
  • Hume; use of analogy fails- doesn't prove the God of classical theism. Watch analogy- incompatible to universe; nothing can be compared to it in its entirety.
  • Hume; questioned D.A's conclusion; elements of design in world prove the existence of creator God- design could've been the work of many lesser of gods/ God's apprentice. Hume argued he argument isn't strong enough to make such a bold conclusion of the existence of God.- reinforced by Philo; illustrated the world as 'only the first rude essay of some infant deity... the object of derision to his superiors'
  • J.S. Mill - Questioned the goodness of nature given the apparent cruelty to be found within nature (e.g. the behaviour of the digger worm).In response to Mill - Paley and Aquinas were concerned with whether the universe exhibits signs of design that point to a designer, not by the nature of design
  • Natural selection is ‘blind’, it has no aim, no purpose. It is a ‘blind, unconscious automatic process’ completely without purpose. Humans only act so that their genes may survive. All we are is mechanisms to pass on our genes in competition with other species. ‘We are survival machines – robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes.’ The Selfish Gene.
  • Hume’s “Epicurean Hypothesis” states that, given eternity, a finite amount of particles will eventually form some kind of equilibrium, given enough rolls of the dice.This ‘roll’, this result that is our present reality, is not one that shows the mark of a loving divine creator.  Only if we see the world “as it really is – very faulty and incorrect” can we realise the redundancy of the teleological argument.

Evaluation

Argument; convincing making use of evidence difficult to argue against. evident that our world shows many signs of purpose and regularity. 

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Philosophy resources:

See all Philosophy resources »See all Ideas of gods resources »