The Teleological Argument

Question 1

NAME KEY aspects of teleological arguments

Answer 1

AQUINAS (5th way, regularity of succession, Arrow example)

PALEY (Natural theology -> part 1 and 2 -> Example of eye, what does watch analogy show us?)

Question 2

AQUINAS - Explain Aquinas’ teleological argument (about him and the argument too and example)

Answer 2

• Wrote in Summa theologiae, his 5th way was a design argument. (A POSTEOIRI- based on evidence/experience)
  1) All natural things/beings etc follow natural laws, even if they are unconscious and not thinking.
  2) If things follow natural laws they tend to flourish or have a goal or purpose
  3) However if it cannot think for itself it does not have a goal or purpose unless it is directed by something
  EXAMPLE: Arrow -> Arrow can only be directed to its goal and used for its purpose by someone such as an archer
  Therefore there is an intelligent being which directs everything this is GOD.

Question 3

AQUINAS - What is Design Qua Regularity and how does it apply to Aquinas? (use example too)

Answer 3

Regularity of succession - some things in nature follow certain laws which lead to certain results -> e.g. if u drop a glass it smashes (Law of gravity) these laws are predictable and regular. Aquinas uses example of archer :

1) arrow hits target even though it does not have mind of its own (Effect)
2) Archer (mind of their own) shot the arrow (cause)
3) Things in the natural world follow natural laws even though they do not have a mind of their own (Effect)
4) Something with a mind of their own caused natural world to behave in this way. we call this God (CAUSE)

Question 4

2 weaknesses with Aquinas’ argument

Answer 4

1) Assumes things in natural world have purpose but never provides examples to back this
2) Is it correct to assume everything follows a aw set dwn by a designer? Some ppl say it came about by chance

Question 5

Who was Paley (background info for intro)

Answer 5

18/19th century scholar who was interested in discoveries about natural world. Published ideas in book “Natural theology”. Argued the world was full of natural examples of design.

Question 6

What is part 1 of Paley’s argument? (INCLUDE QUOTE CONCLUDE)

Answer 6

Part 1) If you went for walk found a rock you’d conclude it had been there forever and wouldn’t think more of it whereas if you found a watch which has working parts that show:
a) It has a purpose (telling time)
b) these parts work together and are fit for purpose
c) They are ordered to make it function
d) if they are arranged differently it wont work
Conclusion: the watch must have had a creator who ‘must have existed at some time, and at some place or other’

Question 7

What is Part 2 of Paley’s argument? QUOTE TO CONCLUDE

Answer 7

Continued from part 1 ->

1) Suppose it had other imaginary functions (e.g. producing other watches)
2) your admiration for its creator would increase
conclusion: Any person finding such a watch would conclude the design of the watch implies ‘the presence of intelligence and mind’(Paley Natural Theology)

Question 8

Whats a conclusion for part 1 of Paley’s watch analogy (QUOTE!!!!!!)

Answer 8

he watch must have had a creator who ‘must have existed at some time, and at some place or other’

Question 9

Whats a conclusion for part 2 of Paley’s watch analogy (QUOTE!!!!!!)

Answer 9

Any person finding such a watch would conclude the design of the watch implies ‘the presence of intelligence and mind’(Paley Natural Theology)

Question 10

What does the watch analogy show us?

Answer 10

Just as the watch being designed necessitates a designer to explain why it exists, so all of nature requires a much greater designer. He said nature is much more complex than human machinery so it must have a greater designer (GOD) He used example of an eye

Question 11

What example did Paley use to show it?

Answer 11

EYE -

1) Watch designed for purpose of telling time (an effect
2) Features of design suggest intelligent designer (cause)
3) Eye shows features of design (similar to camera and only works with all features) - An effect
4) Therefore this eye must have had an intelligent designer (a cause)

Question 12

List Criticisms (NAME ONLY) of Paley’s argument

Answer 12

HUMe ( 3 criticisms)
MILL
Darwin

Question 13

LIST ONLY 3 Criticisms of Paley from Hume

Answer 13

1) Analogy = weak
2) Chance and time could lead to order
3) Other explanations for order

Question 14

Explain Hume’s 1st criticism of Paley (EXAMPLE)

BRIEFLY COUNTER TOO

Answer 14

a) He argued analogy is weak e.g we cant conclude from study of human circulatory system that an animals is the same
b) Hume’s second analogy = We can conclude that a house had a builder and architect but we cannot deduce a builder or architect of universe in same way = there is no similarity
suggests maybe even a trainee God “This world, for all he knows, is very faulty and imperfect”.
c) Nothing in universe to which a universe can be satisfactorily compared to, no certain conclusions can be drawn

many scientific breakthroughs have come about through analogy. (Using comparisons between similar elements and effects in periodic table)

Question 15

Explain Hume’s 2nd criticism of Paley

BRIEFLY COUNTER IT TOO

Answer 15

Chance and time can lead to order. Universe infinite and constantly growing so we could exist out of a random mutation/arrangement of matter

The probability of it being like this is so small, we ought to conclude there is a designer.

Question 16

Explain Hume’s 3rd criticism of Paley

BRIEFLY COUNTER IT TOO

Answer 16

Effects in nature can be caused by a wide variety of causes - evolution or the particles may have order within them e.g. recent scientists found particles which spontaneously appear from nothing.

Question 17

background info about John Stuart Mill

Answer 17

wrote book called “The nature and the Utility of Religion” which raised question about the goodness of nature

Question 18

Explain Mill’s criticism of the design argument (QUOTE + EXAMPLE)

Answer 18

“nearly all the things which men are hanged or imprisoned for doing to one another are nature’s everyday performances” (e.g. killing kids in tsunamis, disease etc)
He says nature can be seen as cruel (example of female digger wasp laying egg in caterpillar and paralyses but not kills it)
- IF we calculate all of the suffering and goodness in nature, the suffering outweighs the goodness. So therefore it is impossible for God to be perfect and he may in fact be immoral and evil

Question 19

Explain Darwin’s natural selection? (Example)

Answer 19

Small variations in organisms characteristics change from one generations to the next. These have advantageous characteristics such as running faster or being better at hunting. Nature automatically weeds out less adapted species. Example= Darwin found on Galapagos island Finch birds had different sized beaks ondifferent islands which corresponded to the foods they ate e.g eating insects seeds etc.

Question 20

How does Natural selection relate to the teleological argument?

Answer 20

Paley’s examples of design and order such as the eye are just processes of evolution. The eye has been developed over thousands of generations to be like it is now and most useful to us.

Question 21

What is a quote from Darwin regarding natural law and the teleological argument?

Answer 21

“There seems to be no more design in the variability of organic beings and in the action of natural selection, than in the course which the wind blows.”