teleological argument

what type of argument is it?

• a posteriori, inductive and analytical

why is it called the teleological argument?

• ‘telos’ means end goal or purpose, so its the idea that the world was designed with an end goal in sight

what did paley conclude?

• if something was designed then there must be a creator, the only being great enough is logically god.

who came up with the argument?

• William Daley, found In his natural book of theology

what did montefor suggest?

• the universe is statistically “beyond chance”

• what did tennant say ?

• there is to much immence natural beauty in the world for it to be chance

what are Humes criticisms?

• no evidance it was a christian god

• existence of evil = an infantile senile god

• incomparable to machinery, that is anthropomorphism - can’t apply our limited knowledge to something so complex

• the world is like a vegetable (grow themselves)

• made of ever changing atoms, possible it is by chance

what are the three observations of the world?

• complexity - nothing in nature is simplistic but really complicated

• regularity- how the created order works eg. seasons

• purpose - everything in nature has a purpose eg. food chains

what are examples of design?

• the human eye - extremely

  complicated

• planets - if the big bang was slightly different the world may not be the same or even exist

what is the anthropic principle?

• nature is perfect for all living beings, it appears to be planned perfectly

why would some suggest the creator needs to be god?

• aquinas: god must be direct nature, there can never be purpose if there isn’t guiding intelligence

what are the strengths of the argument?

• its logical - analogies always provide logic eg. analogy of the watch

• the world is to ordered to be a coincidence

• god is the simplist answer - swine burn: “simplicity is always the best answer”

what are the weaknesses of the argument?

• god doesn’t have a designer - arguably as complex

• evolution allows for change and adaption - or purpose isn’t fixed

• possiblitiy of chance - should see the universe as a fact

• watchmaker analogy

analogy of the watch

• cannot make a watch without a maker as its to complex so should apply to the world to