The Design Argument

Question 1

What is Natural Theology

Answer 1

Learning about God through reasoning/logic surrounding the natural world.

Question 2

What is Revealed theology?

Answer 2

Learning about God through God revealing himself e.g. the Bible.

Question 3

Are the Design Arguments Natural or Revealed Theology

Answer 3

Natural Theology

Question 4

What type of reasoning and argument are the Design Arguments?

Answer 4

A posteriori, Inductive

Question 5

Who are the main Design Argument Philosophers?

Answer 5

Aquinas, William Paley, Swinburne, F.R Tennant

Question 6

Who opposes the Design Argument?

Answer 6

Hume, Mill, Richard Dawkins, Charles Darwin

Question 7

What are the two types of Design Argument?

Answer 7

Design qua purpose
Design qua regularity

Question 8

What is design qua purpose?

Answer 8

Design is evident through the purposefulness of the universe

Question 9

What is design qua regularity?

Answer 9

Design is evident through the order and regularity of the universe

Question 10

Give a summary of the premises of Aquinas’ Design Argument

Answer 10

1. Things which lack knowledge act for a purpose.
2. They achieve this purpose, not by chance, but by design.
3. Things lacking knowledge can’t have a purpose unless someone with knowledge gives them one.
   e.g. An arrow can’t hit a target without an archer
4. Therefore there is someone who’s got knowledge to set all natural things towards a purpose.
   Conclusion: This is God.

Question 11

Is Aquinas’ argument design qua purpose or design qua regularity?

Answer 11

Design qua purpose

Question 12

Give a summary of the premises of Paley’s design argument

Answer 12

1. Objects in nature are similar to man made machines.
2. man made machines are the product of intelligent human design.
3. Like effects have like causes
4. therefore objects in nature are products of something like intelligent human design.
5. The universe is far more complex and on an infinitely bigger scale than man made machines.
6. Hence the cause of design in the universe must be far more intelligent and powerful than of man made machines.
   Conclusion: This is God.

Question 13

Is Paley’s argument design qua purpose or design qua regularity?

Answer 13

Design qua regularity (complexity)

Question 14

What analogy does Paley use for his argument?

Answer 14

The complexity of a watch needing a designer (with higher intelligence)

Question 15

What are temporal regularities of co-presence?

Answer 15

Many pieces/parts specifically placed together

Question 16

What are temporal regularities of succession?

Answer 16

The parts of the universe working together to create a functional environment for life

Question 17

Give a summary of the premises of Swinburne’s design argument.

Answer 17

1. There is order in the world
2. There is an explanation for human made order
3. There’s no explanation for the order and regularity in the universe
4. Someone must’ve created this regularity in the universe
   Conclusion: This is God

Question 18

Strengths of the Design Arguments

Answer 18

1. A posteriori - Evidence is accessible to all (can observe order + complexity)
2. Analogy - easy to understand
3. Cumulative - There are many examples of complexity/purpose/order/regularity in nature
4. Natural Theology - Can be observed through reason/study of nature rather than revealed

Question 19

Hume’s Criticisms of the Design Argument

Answer 19

1. Just because there is a designer doesn’t mean they have the qualities of God
2. The designer would need a designer (infinite regress)
3. Multiple designers?
4. God and humans aren’t comparable
5. Human Design and the universe aren’t comparable
6. The world isn’t perfect so how could God be
7. The universe could be a product of chance - Doesn’t HAVE to be a designer

Question 20

Responses to Hume’s criticisms

Answer 20

1. We can assume God is powerful as he exists outside of the universe (transcendant)
2. God created the laws of the universe so doesn’t have to follow them himself
3. Ockham’s razor makes one designer more likely than multiple
4. The universe being a product of chance is highly unlikely
   5.

Question 21

Mill’s critique and a defence against it

Answer 21

Mill: There is gratuitous evil, so either there’s no God or an incompetent/immoral God
Defence: Flaws in design doesn’t mean there’s not a designer

Question 22

Dawkins’ critique and a defence against it

Answer 22

Dawkins: Nature wasn’t designed, it evolved (inspired by Darwin)
Defence: God could’ve designed evolution - Michael Behe

Question 23

Who created the Anthropic Principle

Answer 23

F.R Tennant

Question 24

Give an outline of the Anthropic Principle

Answer 24

1. The emergence of human life depends on many precise (fine tuned) factors. (E.g. Gravity, electromagnetic force, the size of atoms, percentage of oxygen in air)
2. Human life has emerged in our universe.
3. This is highly improbable
4. Therefore a designer or intelligent creator must’ve made our universe.
   Conclusion: The best explanation for our universe is God.

Question 25

Strengths of the Anthropic Principle

Answer 25

- Inductive, A posteriori - Works with Big Bang + Evolution

Question 26

Criticisms of the Anthropic Principle

Answer 26

- Correlates with Deism (the belief there is a supreme being) but not with God - The world isn't perfect - Multiverse theory - Humans over state their importance in the universe

Question 27

What is Weak vs Strong Anthropic Principle?

Answer 27

Weak = humans existing shows the world is perfectly balanced for human life Strong = The universe is so perfectly balanced for human life, so this must be the purpose of the universe.