philosophy teleological arguments

Teleological arguments

Look at order and purpose in natural world using inductive reasoning to conclude god is the best explanation

Aquinas’ fifth way

Everything serves a purpose whether an object can choose it or not, seen within observable patterns of regularity within nature to carry out specific tasks (e.g. rivers flowing to sea and moon cycles). Argues this can not be random and nature was designed a purpose by a higher being, god being the best explanation for assignment of purpose and regular activity in nature.

Paley’s watchmaker analogy

Universe is so complex and intricate that like a watch it is too perfect to not have a maker. Everything fits too perfectly to be random, god must’ve created it.

F.R tennenant’s anthropic argument

The world is so perfectly balanced for our survival, everything being assigned a reason to serve the stability and support of life, god must be the explanation ensuring the world was made perfectly fit for our survival

F.R tennant’s aesthetic argument

The world has beauty which isn’t necessary for evolution and survival, meaning beauty wasn’t brought by evolution but something else. Gof placed beauty on earth, its purpose to allow humans to see beautiful things, making hod omnibenevolent

Problem with analogies (Hume)

Links explanations to uncorrolated things, and are inconsistent as different analogies for the same question lead to different conclusions. We don’t know how the universe was created therefore we can’t apply it to analogies.

Anti classical theism (Hume)

The world is flawed therefore god may have imperfections and flaws unlike the classical Christian god. Intelligent being does not mean an omnipotent or omniscient being

Apprentice god (Hume)

Our world is flawed (diseases etc) so perhaps the creator was inexperienced, almost like an apprentice.

Plurality of gods (Hume)

Complex machines often have multiple creators, like the titanic or a cathedral, perhaps due to the worlds complexity the world also had more than one creator / god.

The abscent god (Hume)

Designers don’t create something then sit and observe it for the rest of time, a watchmaker doesn’t sit and watch his watches, therefore likewise god may have created the universe then left to go onto something else.

Natural selection (Darwin)

Animals change and to the best suited adaptations to survive their habitat as the strongest and best suited species continue to live and spread their genes, where’s the less suitable species die out.

Puddle theory (Douglas Adam)

Water flows into a hole to form a puddle, the hole is not made for the puddle. Links to how humanity shaped the world to be suitable to itself, and how the world wasn’t shaped for humanity.