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Teleological Argument Flashcards

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1
Q

What is Aquinas’ Fifth Way a form of?

A

A teleological (design) argument for the existence of God.

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2
Q

What observation does Aquinas make about natural objects in the Fifth Way?

A

They behave in regular, goal-directed ways, not randomly.

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3
Q

According to Aquinas, why can’t natural objects direct themselves to an end?

A

Because they are non-intelligent or insufficiently intelligent.

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4
Q

What analogy does Aquinas use to explain goal-direction in non-intelligent things?

A

An archer directing an arrow at a target.

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5
Q

What role does God play in Aquinas’ Fifth Way?

A

God is the intelligent being who directs all natural things towards their end via natural laws.

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6
Q

What is the conclusion of Aquinas’ Fifth Way argument?

A

Natural laws must have an intelligent designer, which is what we call God.

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7
Q

What is Paley’s version of the design argument called?

A

Design qua Purpose.

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8
Q

What example does Paley use to explain his design argument?

A

A watch found on a heath.

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9
Q

Why does Paley believe a watch requires a designer?

A

Because it has complexity arranged to serve a specific purpose: telling time.

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10
Q

What natural examples does Paley use to argue for design in the universe?

A

The human eye, wings of birds, and fins of fish.

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11
Q

What quote does Paley use to connect natural design to human design?

A

“Every manifestation of design, which existed in the watch, exists in the works of nature.”

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12
Q

According to Paley, what does design imply?

A

A designer with intelligence and purpose in mind.

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13
Q

What is the role of analogy in design arguments?

A

It offers a best explanation style argument based on similarity in effects implying similar causes.

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14
Q

What does Swinburne say about arguments by analogy?

A

They are common in scientific inference and help justify design arguments.

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15
Q

What is Hume’s key objection to analogy in design arguments?

A

Similar effects (like smoke from fire vs dry ice) don’t guarantee similar causes.

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16
Q

Why does Hume reject analogies between artefacts and the universe?

A

Because we’ve never observed a universe being made and cannot compare it to man-made objects.

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17
Q

What does Hume say about the mechanical vs organic nature of artefacts and the universe?

A

Artefacts are mechanical and precise, while the universe appears chaotic and organic.

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18
Q

How do some defend Paley against Hume’s analogy critique?

A

By claiming Paley’s argument isn’t really analogical; the watch is just an illustration of complexity and purpose.

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19
Q

What is the key property Paley identifies as needing a designer?

A

Complexity and purpose—parts fitted together to achieve a function.

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20
Q

According to modern interpretations, how does Paley’s argument differ from Aquinas’?

A

Paley argues from the presence of design-requiring properties, not from analogy.

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21
Q

What does natural theology aim to show, according to Aquinas and Paley?

A

That belief in a designer is reasonable and consistent with observation.

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22
Q

What is Alister McGrath’s view of Aquinas’ natural theology?

A

It shows the coherence between faith and observation—faith is reasonable.

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23
Q

What is Hume’s ‘committee of gods’ objection?

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A

The universe could have been designed by multiple gods or a lesser god, not the God of classical theism.

24
Q

How does Swinburne respond to Hume’s committee of gods objection?

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A

One God is a simpler explanation than many, based on Ockham’s razor.

25
How does Swinburne use the laws of physics to support the idea of a single designer?
Their uniformity suggests one designer rather than multiple.
26
Why does Hume’s objection not undermine Aquinas and Paley’s version of the design argument?
Because they don’t try to prove the Christian God—only that belief in a designer is reasonable.
27
What criticism is made of design arguments that only support a generic designer?
They provide little value for religious faith and don't support belief in a specific God.
28
Why is consistency with observation insufficient to support belief in God, according to critics?
Because consistency is not evidence; actual supporting evidence is needed.
29
What is a key strength of design arguments?
They are a posteriori and inductive, appealing to empirical evidence to justify belief in God.
30
What is Hume’s evidential problem of evil?
A world with evil and suffering cannot justify belief in a perfect God.
31
What kind of evil is the evidential problem of evil focused on?
Natural evil and animal suffering.
32
How did Darwin support the evidential problem of evil?
He cited examples like parasitic wasps and cat cruelty, suggesting a cruel or indifferent design.
33
What is Hume’s empirical argument from evil? (P1–C2)
P1. Only believe what evidence supports. P2. Evidence shows imperfection. C1. We should only believe imperfection exists. C2. So, belief in a perfect God is unjustified.
34
How does Paley respond to the problem of evil?
Even a broken watch still had a watchmaker; so the imperfect universe still needs a designer.
35
What is one alternative response to the problem of evil in design arguments?
Theodicies—attempts to explain why a good God might permit evil.
36
What contemporary evidence supports the problem of evil critique of design arguments?
600 million years of evolution involved immense suffering, suggesting no perfect designer.
37
What did Christopher Hitchens say about evolution and design?
He called it evidence against a perfect God: “Some design, huh?”
38
What are Tennent’s two main design arguments?
The Aesthetic Principle and the Anthropic Principle – both argue that evolution requires divine guidance or explanation.
39
What is Tennent’s aesthetic principle?
It argues that human appreciation of beauty cannot be explained by evolution alone, as it offers no clear survival advantage—suggesting divine influence.
40
What is a criticism of Tennent’s aesthetic principle?
Beauty may have evolutionary roots in mate selection or be a byproduct of traits that do offer survival advantage, undermining the need for divine explanation.
41
What is Tennent’s anthropic principle?
It points out that life depends on an extremely rare and complex set of physical conditions, implying intentional design to allow human existence.
42
What is a modern scientific criticism of Tennent’s anthropic principle?
Given the vast number of planets in the universe (estimated 6 billion earth-like planets in our galaxy), such conditions could arise by chance, making design unnecessary.
43
What kind of order does Swinburne focus on in his design argument?
Temporal order – regularities of succession, e.g., laws of nature and consistent behaviour of particles over time.
44
Why does Swinburne prefer temporal order over spatial order?
Temporal order cannot be explained by evolution or chance, unlike spatial order (like the human eye), which can be explained by natural selection or randomness.
45
What is Swinburne’s argument about natural laws?
Their regularity, precision, and life-permitting nature are best explained not by chance or science, but by a personal designer – God.
46
Why can’t science explain the laws of nature, according to Swinburne?
Science explains what the laws are, but not why they exist, why they are stable, or why they allow life.
47
What is Swinburne’s 'personal explanation'?
That temporal order (e.g., laws of physics) can best be explained by the actions of an intelligent being – God.
48
What is the Epicurean hypothesis?
Given infinite time, random particles will inevitably form an orderly universe – undermining the need for a designer.
49
What scientific evidence challenges the Epicurean hypothesis?
The universe is only 13.8 billion years old; it hasn’t existed for infinite time, so order arising by chance is less likely.
50
What is the multiverse theory and its impact on design arguments?
Suggests infinite universes with all possible laws exist, so our life-permitting universe is unsurprising – no need for design.
51
What is a counter to the multiverse theory?
There’s no empirical evidence for it; Swinburne and Polkinghorne call it speculative and metaphysical.
52
How do Hume and Tegmark respond to the lack of multiverse evidence?
Even if unproven, the possibility of a multiverse undermines the claim that God is the only explanation.
53
How does Swinburne defend the design argument despite the multiverse?
Argues empirically: based on available evidence, a designer is the best explanation for our universe’s fine-tuning.
54
What is Hume’s 'unique case' criticism of design arguments?
We cannot infer a designer for the universe because we lack experience of universes being created—there’s no empirical basis.
55
Why does Hume reject analogy-based design arguments?
Design inferences require repeated experience of cause and effect (e.g., houses and builders), which we lack for universes.
56
What is the abductive defence of design arguments?
They can be seen as inferences to the best explanation (abduction), especially Swinburne’s argument about natural laws.
57
How would Hume critique abductive versions of the design argument?
Even if science fails, that doesn’t justify assuming a designer. Without sufficient evidence, we must suspend judgment.

Philosophy RS (7 decks)

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