Teleological argument

Created by: momonowa
Created on: 04-01-22 10:57


	Teleological argument
	Advantages Paley - the universe, like a watch, shows signs of spatial order and purpose, this is from a designer, God Presented by Hume - the universe has many parts working together like a machine, machines have a designer. The universe also has one, it is God Swinburne - Gravity doesn't have free choice, gravity is just gravity "Regularities of succession in nature" can be explained by rational choices of a free agent (a higher being) (this is the best possible explanation?)	Disadvantages Darwin - it could be evolution Hume - The world has design flaws + We have never observed another universe or its origins. So, we can’t infer the cause of this universe + If there is intention/design behind everything, what is behind suffering? Kant - it could be an "architect" but not God
	Evaluation "The universe must be designed". As the design argument is a posteriori, relies on analogies, and is not deductive, it needs to have strong evidence and analogies to convince others of its conclusion. It is not convincing. The analogy and argument is not strong enough -- we only have experience with this one universe, this is a special case, and the universe does not share enough similarities with a machine to be comparable. The universe is more like a growing vegetable than a made machine. The teleological arguments are too weak to prove that the universe is designed by God and cannot overcome design flaws, suffering, evolution, and that it could only prove an "architect".

Teleological argument

Advantages

Paley - the universe, like a watch, shows signs of spatial order and purpose, this is from a designer, God
Presented by Hume - the universe has many parts working together like a machine, machines have a designer. The universe also has one, it is God
Swinburne - Gravity doesn't have free choice, gravity is just gravity "Regularities of succession in nature" can be explained by rational choices of a free agent (a higher being) (this is the best possible explanation?)

Disadvantages

Darwin - it could be evolution
Hume - The world has design flaws + We have never observed another universe or its origins. So, we can’t infer the cause of this universe + If there is intention/design behind everything, what is behind suffering?
Kant - it could be an "architect" but not God

Evaluation

"The universe must be designed". As the design argument is a posteriori, relies on analogies, and is not deductive, it needs to have strong evidence and analogies to convince others of its conclusion. It is not convincing. The analogy and argument is not strong enough -- we only have experience with this one universe, this is a special case, and the universe does not share enough similarities with a machine to be comparable. The universe is more like a growing vegetable than a made machine. The teleological arguments are too weak to prove that the universe is designed by God and cannot overcome design flaws, suffering, evolution, and that it could only prove an "architect".

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Teleological argument