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Teleological Argument
Teleological Argument
FAST FACTS
Teleology is from the Greek word meaning
end or purpose
The teleological argument is an a posteriori
argument for the existence of God
Advocates include Thomas Aquinas and
William Paley
Critics include David Hume, J S Mill and
Bertrand Russell
The Basics
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
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.
Qua purpose
Paley also provides other examples of design qua purpose
through the example of animal lacteal systems. His
argument suggests that animals such as cows, horses and
sheep have a small number of teats and because of their
small number young, yet the sow, bitch and cat have many
teats or because they have a large number in their litter.
For Paley clear complexity and purpose of the eye, and
something as straightforward as animals having the
number of teats that correspond to the number of young
points to clear evidence of design in the world. This
designer or provider of purpose in the universe is, for Paley,
the God of Christianity. Yet Paley does not stop there, he
continues onto a design qua regularity similar to that of
Aquinas.
Qua regularity
Paley looks at the universe and in some ways updated
Aquinas views.
In 1687 Sir Isaac Newton formulated the laws of motion and
gravity suggests that the universe is like a machine, working
like clockwork in predictable patterns.
Paley suggests that the rotation or ellipses of planets are so
regular as to provide the opportunity for life on earth. He
focuses on gravity and suggests that without the continuity
or regularity of gravity then we would have a very different
universe and probably no life on earth.
He argues that this regularity did not come about by chance
but that it has been directed to be the case by some higher
power. This being, for Paley, is God.
Questions:
Why does this cause a problem for the design
argument?
Which aspects of Paleys argument are
challenged by Darwinism?
How damaging is the Darwinist objection to
the design argument? Does it rule it out
completely?
Counter points
See the Intelligent Design movement it
claims the theory of evolution is wrong or
over-stated (note: this has little / no scientific
support).
God may have caused the process of evolution
as a means of bringing order and purpose into
the universe (James Sadowsky).
Evolution depends on a careful balance of
conditions, possibly caused by God (F.R.
Tennant the anthropic principle).
Intelligent Design
A group of scientists and
mathematicians at the Discovery
Institute have argued that Darwin was
wrong about natural selection.
The complexity of nature may be due
to Intelligent Design.
Michael Behe organisms like the
bacterial flagellum display irreducible
complexity. They have too many
component parts to be explained
through natural selection.
Bacterial flagellum
very complicated.
Responding to Darwinism
Is there any way religious believers can
respond to the challenge from Darwinism?
Could you re-formulate the argument, so that
it can survive these criticisms?
David Hume
Scottish philosopher, 1711-1776
Famed also as an historian and
economist, a controversial essayist
A key figure in the Scottish
Enlightenment
His views on religion are guarded in
his works, perhaps deliberately
obscure. Some accused him of
atheism, others of having an
irregular view of God.
Very effective
Summary of
Humes Criticisms
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, 1779
Hume focuses on the weaknesses of the analogy and the
conclusion drawn from the available empirical evidence
1) We have no experience of world making
2) Arguments from analogy can only be suggestive not
conclusive (issue of scale, mechanic/organic)
3) The available evidence cannot prove the God of classical theism
(multiple designers? The failed attempt of an imperfect designer?)
REMEMBER: these criticisms are applicable to Paley. However,
Hume was criticising the design argument in general Paley had
not yet even written Natural Theology (1805).
Base theism on
Something else
Reject theism
Reject / reply to
Hume & Darwinian
criticisms
Reformulate the
argument on a
different basis
Beauty
Personal faith
Revealed theology
Different theistic arguments
Anthropic principle
Argue for non-classical theology
Anthropic reasoning
From the Greek anthropos
(human/man); anthropic reasoning
argues from the human perspective.
Write down a list of the factors
necessary for your existence.
Reflect: are humans fortunate in
having the conditions of life met? Is
it surprising that the world is set up
for life?
Rate my argument
Convincing
Essay:
(a) Explain the teleological argument for the
existence of God [25 marks]
(b) Aquinas and Paleys teleological argument
cannot be defended [10 marks]