The Teleological Argument Exam Questions

Argument for God based on design of universe/earth

A posteriori - based on experience
Inductive - premises support but don't entail conclusion
Synthetic - argument not true or false by definition so needs to be tested

P1 - All natural occurrences show evidence of design

P2 - this suggests that there is a being that directs all things

P3 - Things that lack knowledge cannot achieve anything unless directed by a thing with knowledge

P4 - There is therefore an intelligent being that directs everyone towards a purpose

P5 - For Aquinas, this being is God

Watch analogy - universe has clear complex purpose/order/regularity) as a watch does, we don't stumble across watches thinking how lucky the chances were of components coming together; we should infer designer from design of complex universe

Regularity - rotation in solar system follows same universal laws which must have been imposed by external authority i.e God

• universe constructed for development of intelligent life
• Natural evidence in favour of divine designer: world can be analysed in rational manner, inorganic world provides basic necessities to sustain life, progress of evolution towards emergence of intelligent human life
• Universe is ordered > chaotic and human life is culmination of God's plan

• Tremendous orderliness within universe
• Laws of nature govern what happens what can be understood/predicted, we are justified in thinking these laws with continue to hold ad infinitum
• Universe needs explanation for something with power to produce it - God
  CRITICISM
• God isn't simple and arguments over traits
• Hume: multiplicity of Gods
  DEFENCE
• Chances of universe being as it is

• World is beautiful which isn't necessary for survival which must be result of divine creation so not result of natural selection

• Unsound analogy: world is organic > mechanical
• Lots of governing principles; why does there have to be one overarching one?
• universe doesn't resemble something that has obviously designed enough to infer designer
• similar effects do not necessarily imply similar causes - is it sound to assume they do? We infer a designer from watch, can we do so from the universe?
• other analogies - world could be compared to carrot leading us to assume that "vegetation" is driving creator of universe or infinite regress of causes or anthropotrised God who isn't human
• analogy leads to non-moral God: if God designed world, he either didn't do a good job or he's not morally good in creating evil world
• other explanations for order - we can't be sure that universe isn't result of blind chance, there is no definite evidence

• soundness: we actually know a lot about universe origins through astrophysics - principle of causality is false: cause of object exceeds what is evident in object therefore perfect God could create universe:
• evolution - Darwin: complex organisms result from natural selection not design therefore no design argument; not always purpose to drive universe; no reason for series of chances making next more likely, "blind watchmaker"
  RESPONSE
• intelligent design saying evolution is wrong; Behe: irreducible complexity with too many components and no missing links between creatures
• God started evolution as means of bringing order and purpose into universe (God of Gaps); evolution depends on particular conditions perhaps caused by God
  CRITICISM
• we evolved to fit universe

Kant: assumption of design in universe based on assumed order, we organise experiences to find regularity/order/purpose and cannot be certain of reality of universe
RESPONSE
Paley: complexity of design in universe could come about by chance is notion of foolish person (ad populum and ad hominem arguments)

1) universe came about in series of chances which is possible
2) universe has no purpose/design
3) humans shouldn't question existence + natural selection has no purpose
4) Paley's "watch maker" was blind