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The Design or Teleological Argument For The Existence of God
The Design or Teleological Argument For The Existence of God
cosmological argument
• The teleological argument is an argument
from order and design to God as the
explanation for this order and design.
The Final Way
P1: Things lacking intelligence, like trees, have a
purpose.
P2: These things can’t move towards their end
without an intelligent being.
P3: By analogy: an arrow cannot reach its target
without a skilled archer.
C: Therefore, by analogy, there must be some
intelligent being which directs all
unintelligent beings to their end. This is what
we call God.
Inference
• ‘Inference’ is the process of deriving
conclusions from what is known or assumed
to be true.
• Task: what (if anything) can you infer about
the producer of the following objects? …
Rate my argument
Unconvincing Convincing
William Paley
• English philosopher and
clergyman, 1743-1805.
• Reforming tendencies,
‘progressive’ in the Church
and abolitionist (opposed to
the slave trade).
• Author of Natural Theology
(1802), his masterwork
arguing for philosophical
knowledge of God.
Terms for the argument
• We call this the ‘Design Argument’ because it
attempts to prove God through the concept of
design.
• It is also known as the ‘Teleological Argument’
from the Greek telos, meaning ‘end’ or ‘purpose’.
The argument claims that the world displays
God’s purpose or end-goal.
• Some (not all) versions of this argument are called
analogical arguments, because they attempt to
make a proof based on analogy (comparisons).
The reasoning used in the argument: