Arguments For God Using Observation Flashcards
(31 cards)
What does teleological mean
Purpose
What are design arguments part of
Natural theology
There is a painter example you can use to describe how natural theology works, what is it.
Just as a painting lets us draw inferences about the painter, the world around us can draw inferences about God
What are the points of the design arguments
- The order of the world makes everything work properly
- Beauty of nature
- Everything seems to have a purpose
- Complexity in the world
A posteriori
Gaining knowledge through the 5 senses
A priori
Using logic and reasoning to gain knowledge
Who is St Thomas Aquinas
Wrote Summa Theologica and all theological discussions today are linked with him
Aquinas believed that God’s existence can be demonstrated in 2 ways
Natural theology- teleological argument
Revelation- using what God has shown to humans through the bible
Thomas aquinas had how many ways
5
What was his fifth way (teleological one)
The archer analogy. Whatever lacks intelligence can not move towards an end unless its directed by some being. So God directs us as an archer would direct the arrow
Examples of non living beings being directed
- Trees are perfectly designed
- Our body
What analogy does William Paley make
He imagined himself looking at a watch and seeing all the parts of it. It has several parts which links to a purpose which is telling the time. The watch has evidence of design and where there is design, there must be a designer. The purpose of our world is to sustain life.
What examples is there of design being observed in nature
-Complexity of human eye allowing us to see
- Swan’s neck perfectly designed to reach algae
Paley also argued…
Regularity and order
Regularity and order examples
- Rotation of planets
- Predictability of gravity
- The seasons
Criticisms of Paley
- We may be In ignorance of how watches are made
- Watches sometimes go wrong
- Some parts of a watch may appear to have no purpose
Responses to the criticisms of Paley
- We dont need to see how watches are made to realise there must be a maker
- But a watch doesn’t have to work perfectly for us to realise it has been designed
- The purpose of some parts may not have been discovered
What are Hume’s criticisms of the design argument
- Analogy doesn’t work
- God is inferred not proven
- God is assumed
Who is Hume mainly arguing against
St Aquinas but could be used against Paley too
Analogy doesn’t work explained
Both Aquinas and Paley’s arguments are using Analogy. Analogies can lead to mistaken conclusions
Analogies giving wrong conclusions examples
She ks my rock- analogy
She is tough and stable- actual meaning
She is stupid, unchanging and immoveable- could be inferred
God is inferred not proven explained
We cannot assume that this world has a God just based on of natural theology. The most we can say is that it appears to have order but it doesn’t prove God
God is assumed explained
Who says that there is just one God, there could be many
Whats another explanation to the design argument
Evolution
