Arguments From Observation For Existence Of God

Question 1

Aquila’s fifth way step by step ( teleological)

Answer 1

• world consists of non thinking beings that lack intelligence
• everything obeys natural laws so act predictably
• these beings have purpose like bees collecting honey
• beings are directed to this purpose by an intelligent being
• intelligent being is god

Question 2

Aquinas teleological example

Answer 2

An arrow achieves its purpose of hitting the target after being directed by the archer.

Question 3

Criticisms of aquinas

Answer 3

• purpose may be a human construct as natural things may not have an innate purpose
• logical fallacy as he assumes intelligent designer has characteristics of and is the classical theistic god which is a leap in logic
• Sartre - Aquinas assumes things in the natural world have a purpose

Question 4

Paleys watch analogy

Answer 4

The watch is carefully designed by the watchmaker to perform its purpose of telling the time, compared to naturally mechanical things like birds wings purpose is to fly, lacteals system of producing right amount of milk for amount of babies.

Question 5

Design qua purpose

Answer 5

Parley reached his conclusion after watch analogy that the purpose of natural things must be designed by a conscious mind which is god

Question 6

Design qua regularity

Answer 6

Infers a designer due to consistent order and patterns in the world like gravity and rotation of the planets.

Question 7

What if the watch is broken

Answer 7

It is still clear the intended purpose of a watch even if it is nor working, broken wing

Question 8

What if the purpose of all parts of the watch is not clear

Answer 8

Even if purpose of all parts isn’t clear the watch as a whole has a clear purpose indicating design

Question 9

Criticism of paley

Answer 9

• Natural disasters indicate poor design or no design
• what is the purpose of a wasp
• law of entropy suggests a tendency towards disorder in the world, ice cube melting.

Question 10

Humes Teleological Criticism - problems with analogies

Answer 10

Aquinas analogy of blood circulatory system compared to sap in plants is a mistaken conclusion as these are very different, universe isn’t mechanic so can’t be a watch it is more like a growing cabbage.

Question 11

Humes Teleological Criticism - problems with observation

Answer 11

Fallacy of composition as paley sees purpose in parts of the world he assumes universe as a whole has a purpose, balance scales

Question 12

Humes Teleological Criticism - first rude attempt of an infant deity

Answer 12

Imperfections in the world due to it being an infant deities first attempt at making a perfect world so things went wrong then the world is cast aside.

Question 13

Humes Teleological Criticism - epicurean hypothesis

Answer 13

Alternate explanation for universe and infinite time with finite particles would fall into order by chance creating universe.

Question 14

Criticism of Hume in teleological

Answer 14

• paley doesn’t argue that there’s a purpose behind the whole world
• couldn’t throw pieces of the watch in the air and expect them to land in the shape of the watch, less probable to argue for chance
• Hume makes fun of the argument takes it too far as many agree designer but don’t argue religion or charcteristics

Question 15

Darwin theory of natural selection

Answer 15

Creatures most suited to an environment will survive and pass on favourable characteristics. Survival of the fittest as adaptations occur and most useful characteristics will reproduce but less favourable one’s will not and so die out. Argues purpose of natural world is due to natural selection and evolution not an intelligent design. It is a random process no overall purpose.

Question 16

Darwins example to illustrate natural selection

Answer 16

Finches on the Galápagos Islands, differing islands the finches would have different beaks adapted to the food source, harder beaks for cracking seeds and longer beaks for eating insects.

Question 17

Dawkins blind watchmaker

Answer 17

Argues natural selection is a blind process and has no foresight, if doesn’t plan for design, it is a very slow gradual process. Complexity doesn’t imply design

Question 18

Criticisms of materialism in teleological

Answer 18

• tenants aesthetic principle that humans have appreciation for arts and beauty which is unnecessary in survival of the fittest natural selection world, benevolent designer who seeks to give pleasure
• morowitz argues chances of protein molecule occurring is 1 : 10 power of 236 so not random
• unlikely purpose is chance as the eye seems perfectly designed complexly

Question 19

Aquinas way 1

Answer 19

• motus as motion meaning continuous movement from potentiality to actuality.
• nothing can move or change alone but there can’t be an infinite regress of movements.
• must be an unmoved mover which began motus and can’t be moved.
• this is god

Question 20

Aquinas way 2

Answer 20

• World of efficient causes but nothing can be its own cause.
• there can’t be an infinite regress of causes
• must be a first cause which is uncaused itself but begins the chain of causes and effect
• uncaused causer is god

Question 21

Aquinas way 3

Answer 21

• everything in the universe is contingent so it can exist but also not exist
• could be possible for a time when nothing existed
• however something can’t come from nothing so something must have always existed
• a necessary being which is the source of necessity for all things is god

Question 22

Supports of Aquinas cosmological

Answer 22

Coppleston - everything in the universe is contingent and it is the sum of its contents so is contingent, depends on something external to exist

Leibiniz - series of books has been printed each one copied from the last, but there is no explanation for the reason the books exist or why there was a first book.. needs to be sufficient reason explaining the series of books as a whole, Aquinas does this to explain the universe.

Question 23

Criticisms of Aquinas cosmological

Answer 23

Russell - existentialism the universe is just there without explanation, uncaused objects like quantum particles just occur

Kant - cause and effect are imposed by humans on the world, noumena world can’t be experienced by the senses, there can’t be a first caused

Mackie - infinite regress could be possible, series of hooks

Question 24

Humes criticisms of cosmological - inductive reasoning

Answer 24

Collects data from observations leading to probable conclusions, sun rises today so it must rise tomorrow, cause and effect can be observed in nature but can’t be extended to the whole universe this can’t be known, inductive leap

Question 25

Humes criticisms of cosmological - infinite regress

Answer 25

Doesn’t have to be impossible

Question 26

Humes criticisms of cosmological - fallacy of composition

Answer 26

Every effect in the world has a cause then world must have a cause, assuming same for whole world as of its parts, 20 particles have singular causes but as a whole they don’t have a cause.

Question 27

Humes criticisms of cosmological - nature of god

Answer 27

Logical fallacy in assuming unmoved mover is the god of classical theism or even a god at all.

Question 28

Humes criticisms of cosmological - special case

Answer 28

Why is god a special case why does he not have a cause and how is it known he doesn’t, universe could be necessary itself

Question 29

Criticisms of Hume in cosmological

Answer 29

Inductive - observations from the past must be made to survive
Fallacy of composition - anscombe rabbit out the hat must surely have a cause
Infinite regress - evidence of neither possible or impossible
Nature of god - could be a deist god not theistic god

Question 30

Russells mother argument

Answer 30

Fallacy of composition, every has a mother doesnt mean the universe has a mother

Question 31

Critique of Aquinas idea of necessary

Answer 31

Using Aquinas reasoning methods of oberservation of the world, one can infer that the idea that necessary being can exist is impossible as there is no observational evidence to suggest it.

Question 32

Polkingthorne support of the teleological argument

Answer 32

Difference between expanding and contracting forces in the universe to create the world randomly in a fine balance of total energy is 10 small 60