Teleological Argument Flashcards
(21 cards)
Is the teleological a priori or a posteriori?
A posteriori - knowledge from observation.
Who are the key scholars in the teleological argument?
Aquinas and Paley
What is the meaning of the word teleological?
To do with something’s purpose or goal/ end point.
What does Psalm 19 say that shows evidence of design?
“The skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Who was Aquinas influenced by, and how?
Aristotle - Aquinas developed his ideas about ‘telos’ based on the writings of Aristotle.
What is Aquinas’ 5th way?
There is evidence of design and telos (purpose) with in the world. e.g. bee hives.
Everything has an end goal. Therefore there must be an intelligent designer who directs all natural things to this end point.
What is Aquinas’ quote for the teleological argument?
“Therefore some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God.”
What is Aquinas’ analogy?
The analogy of the arrow and archer.
In the same way the archer guides the arrow to where it is meant to go, God guides natural bodies to where they are meant to go.
Where is Paley’s Watchmaker Argument found?
In his book ‘Natural Theology’
Explain Paley’s Watchmaker argument:
It is inductive, and makes inferences - an empirical argument (based on observation), and a posteriori.
If the watch (which is complex and cannot be explained by natural explanation) has a watchmaker, the world - which is much more complex than a watch - must have a creator.
What did Haley observe that points to the idea of a creator? (provide examples)
COMPLEXITY - Complexity of human world e.g. complexity of human eye. REGULARITY - The seasons of the year happens with order.
PURPOSE - everything has a purpose/ telos e.g. the eye was constructed to see and a birds wings for flight.
What did Paley say in his analogy? (Quote)
“Who comprehended its construction and designed its use.” (The watch must have a use - contrary to a stone)
What is the rebuttal to the idea of there being flaws in the world?
Even if the watch is broken, there is enough design to suggest a watchmaker. (However, this does raise problems as God is thought to be ‘perfect’)
What are the strengths of Aquinas + Paley’s arguments?
+ An empirically based argument, the argument uses observable examples of complexity and regularity. We live in an impirical age - the fact that the argument uses observation gives it credibility.
+ Consistency with Scripture - Psalm 19 leads to the idea that we can know God through nature.
What did Richard Swinburne say about this argument? (As a contemporary scholar in support of the teleological arg.)
The argument is the best explanation for the appearance of design in nature.
Occam’s Razor - the simplest explanation is the best.
Explain F.R. Tennant’s Anthropic Principle:
Everything in the universe is so ‘fine-tuned’ in order for the world to exist - it is extremely unlikely to have happened by chance, there must be a designer!
What are some criticisms of the Teleological argument?
- The epicurean hypothesis: is universe is here by random chance. It appears as if it was designed this way, but it is really the result of chance.
- Who designed the designer? The argument raises more questions than it provides answers…
What are Hume’s Criticisms?
- The world is organic, not mechanistic. “The world plainly resembles more of an animal or vegetable than it does a watch” - you cannot compare a mechanistic watch to a world! The analogy is flawed.
- The argument does not prove the existence of the Christian God - he uses the example of BUILDING A SHIP - it takes many men to build a ship, so why not many Gods to make a world?
- There are flaws in the design…
What is a counter argument to Hume’s example of building a ship?
There doesn’t need to be multiple Gods, there can just be one - God is perfect and all-powerful!
What are J.S. Mill’s criticisms (Problem of evil)?
The cruelty of nature means the designer is not omnibenevolent - This is a “designedly imperfect world”. Nature does not reveal the existence of an omnibenevolent designer!
What quote can you provide from Richard Dawkins that ridicules the teleological argument?
“In the case of living machinery, the ‘designer’ is unconscious natural selection, the blind watchmaker.”
There is no watchmaker (natural selection is the blind watchmaker). “The only watchmaker in nature is the blind forces of physics.”
