Swinburne and the Teleological Argument

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  • Created by: T Colby
  • Created on: 28-03-16 14:56
What did Richard Swinburne state makes it difficult to believe that there is not a designer at work?
The complexity of the Universe.
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What did Swinburne accept?
The anthropic principle.
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What did Swinburne note about the anthropic principle?
Even though the world could have become chaotic from the Big Bang, the fact that it has not points to an external designing or ordering force.
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What argument does Swinburne use to state that the Earth is too finely tuned to be like this on its own?
A fine tuning argument.
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What is the fine tuning argument?
Science can explain the fine tuning that scientific laws work well together, that certain genetic mutations have worked in humankind's favour. What science cannot explain is why all these occurences have coordinated themselves in our favour.
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What does Swinburne note about science?
It can only explain scientific/natural laws to explan phenomena. This does not extend to explaining the laws themselves, instead it is understood as brute fact; they just are.
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What is Swinburne's personal explanation of scientific laws?
We should understand the existence of scientific laws in terms of purpose which has been put in place for them. This is best explained by the existence of an omnipotent being.
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What does Ockham's razor famously state to be the best answer?
All things being equal, the simplest answer is probably the best answer.
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What does Swinburne argue is the best, simplest answer to the temporal order (regularities of succession) which exist throughout time and space?
The existence of a designer-creator being.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What did Swinburne accept?

Back

The anthropic principle.

Card 3

Front

What did Swinburne note about the anthropic principle?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What argument does Swinburne use to state that the Earth is too finely tuned to be like this on its own?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What is the fine tuning argument?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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