The Design Argument Flashcards
Philosophy definition
The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence.
Etymology of Philosophy
‘Philo’ is Ancient Greek for ‘love’
‘Sophia’is the Ancient Greek word for ‘wisdom’
Types of reasoning
A posteriori: Reasoning based on evidence from our observation of the world. Truth claims which come from experience of the senses and knowledge
A priori: Without experience; does not rely on the evidence of the senses, but on logical arguments
Necessary truths are necessary because they are knowable a priori. They hold true in all cases.
An statement that we have to test to see wether it holds true for future cases is a contingent statement, a posteriori.
A priori
A priori means ‘what comes before’.
Does not depend on experience for its justification; we only need to think about it.
We do not need any prior knowledge of the external world or examine our own experiences to recognise that it is true.
It only requires reason.
A posteriori
A posteriori means ‘what comes after’. Another word for this is ‘empirical’.
Depends upon evidence that can only be gained through experience for its justification.
We need to use the evidence of our senses, our sense-experience.
The design argument
(AKA teleological argument, Telos means order) is an A posteriori argument which claims that as the universe is so complex, it must have a designer. The most famous version of this was written by William Paley in ‘Natural Theology (1802). He was a liberal theologian, slavery abolition campaigner and teacher.
If complex, manufactured objects have designers, then so do natural ones. The only entity who could have designed the universe is God.
The watchmaker analogy
If you found a rock on the ground, you may assume that it had always been there. However, if you found something as complex as a watch, you would assume that somebody had deliberately created it to have had a purpose; it would require further explanation.
Paley made an analogy between the watch and the natural world. The features of the watch have functions as do the various parts of the natural universe.
As it is unreasonable to assume that the watch doesn’t have a creator, it is unreasonable to suggest that the universe doesn’t either. Therefore, God exists.
Natural Theology Watchmaker analogy quotes
“suppose I pitched my foot against a stone and were asked how the stone came to be there”
“I might possibly answer…it had lain there forever”
“But suppose I had found a watch…I should hardly think of the answer I had before given”
Anthropomorphism
The tendency for humans to apply to human traits to non-human entities. We often do this with God by saying that we are made “in his own image”.
Features of the universe that suggest there is an intelligent designer
order: objects and scientific laws operate in a regular way
the universe provides what is necessary for life
purpose: objects in the universe all appear to have a purpose
aesthetics: the beauty of nature suggests that it was intended for something beyond survival
The two forms of the design argument
analogical: an argument based on analogies or similarities, for example: seeing the link between the world and objects of human design.
inductive: based on the premises and conclusions, for example: the universe shows order and must have been designed
Aquinas’ fifth way
consists of five premises:
there is beneficial order
order cannot exist by chance
inanimate objects work towards an end (telos)
the objects must be directed by something intelligent
CONCLUSION: the director is God
St Thomas Aquinas
(1225-1274)
Well regarded medieval philosopher and catholic theologian
supporter of the design argument
in his masterwork ‘summa theologica’ (1274) he set out five ways of proving that God exists. The Fifth Way is the design argument
It is mainly an argument from design. He refers to the existence of design without proving that design exists. The focus of the argument seems to be that God put design there. It assumes that there is design.
The Fifth way quotes
“they achieve their end, not fortuitously, but designedly”
“whatever lacks knowledge cannot move towards the end, unless it be directed”
“the arrow is directed by the archer”
“this being we call God”
Strengths of Aquinas’ Fifth Way
A posteriori, based on observations of the natural world
objects without intelligence work towards an end, “it is clear that they achieve their end”
Weaknesses of Aquinas’ Fifth way
it is logically unsound, evidence for beneficial order cannot be explained by God, they could just be by chance
The universe does not establish intelligence in its own right. Aquinas assumes that all things in the natural world have a purpose or are aimed at a goal, yet he shows no example of a natural object which does this.
Archers and arrows are not natural
David Hume
18th century Scottish Philosopher of the enlightenment school. wrote on empiricism, causation, the problem of induction, skepticism, ethics and aesthetics.
Other David Hume arguments against the Design argument
Argued the teleological argument weak. The universe is too unique to be compared to anything manmade, such as a watch. We have no certain knowledge of the universe like we do with watches.
We cannot know that everything (including the universe itself) has a purpose.
Anthropomorphism only serves to limit God’s power.
The universe, if it was designed, has been very poorly as there is much suffering.
Anthony Flew
20th century English philosopher. Worked on the philosophy of religion and belonged to the analytic and evidential schools of thought. Argued that we should presuppose atheism.
Anthony Flew’s response to the design argument (the parable of the invisible gardener)
Parable of the invisible gardener: two explorers find a clearing in the jungle containing both flowers and weed. One imagines that there is a gardener while the other disagrees. They test to see if there is evidence of any gardener and the explorer which originally believed in one has changed their view, claiming that the gardener is “invisible, intangible, insensible [to their testing]”
The second explorer asks that if there is no visible and tangible gardener, is there one at all.
It is an analogy for how the world, theists and atheists, argue the existence of God. As we can’t detect God, are we only guessing that he exists?
Voltaire and his response to the Design argument
A French enlightenment writer, philosopher, satirist and historian.
Argued that the teleological argument suggested clearly that there is a creator, but not necessarily an omnipotent, omniscient God as we might imagine.
In his ‘Traite de metaphysique’ he argued this idea.
Charles Darwin and his response to the Design argument
in his book ‘on origin of species by means of natural selection’ (1859) he offered the theory of evolution
‘The descent of man’ (1871) led to Darwin’s supporters claiming that the design argument was wrong because:
-life developed in evolutionary steps
-living things adapt to the environment which wasn’t made for living beings
-There is too much suffering for there to be an omni-benevolent God.
Richard Dawkins and his response to the Design argument
British evolutionary biologist and author.
Argued that the universe developed as a series of chances. The design of the universe doesn’t prove purpose
2006 program ‘the root of all evil’ he said that “we are so grotesquely lucky to be here”
his criticism of the fifth way is that there isn’t necessarily a design.
He talked about a “blind watchmaker”, telling us that design, despite complexity, needn’t be deliberate.
Richard Swinburne
Professor in the philosophy of the Christian religion at Oxford from 1985-2002.
Has been influential in arguing for the existence of God, most notably in his most accessible work ‘is there a God’ (1996)
