Teleological Argument

What? Evidence for design in universe- Posteriori, Looks at the idea of purpose and order in the universe, Design qua regularity & Design qua purpose. Inductive argument- Reasoning that takes specific incidents then draws a general conclution. Concerned with the reason why the world functions in an orderly and intelligent manner- "TELOS"- End/purpose

• Aquinas- Design Qua Regularity: "Things that lack knowledge cannot move purposely unless they are directed by some intelligent being"

- Natural objects act towards an end/goal for a purpose

-Their actions are not random but ordered

-Must be directed in its actions. Must be an intelligent being- Directs movement- GOD (eg. Arrow shot to target by an archer)

• Paley's- Design Qua Purpose:

-Intricacy and careful ordering- Too precise for it to come by chance. Uses watch analogy- Required that a watchmaker had put the complex mechanisim together for its specific purpose

• Criticisms of the argument:

- Mill Empiricist: If there was a creator, then he certainly wasn't the God suggested by classical theism- "If the maker of the world can do all that he wills, he wills misery"

-Darwin Naturalist: Evolution operates "blind", "Survival of the fittest"- Natural selection, There is no overriding purposeful design- "The only watchmaker in nature is the blind force of physics"- Dawkins

-Hume Empiricist: Comparing God and the universe to mechanical device not valid. Humans don't have proper knowledge of creation to conclude that there was only one designer. There is a world of many faults, prototype of a lesser God. Evil in the world?- "If the material world rests upon a similar ideal world, this ideal world must rest upon some other, and so on, without end"