...Explain Paley’s Teleological argument (25) According to the argument from design, or teleological argument, the design or order found in the universe provides evidence for the existence of an intelligent designer (or orderer) usually identified as God. A classic version of this argument appears in William Paley's 1802 Natural Theology, where Paley compares the complexity of living things to the inferior complexity of a watch that we deduce to be designed by an intelligent being. Just as a watch could not exist without a watchmaker, Paley argued, living things could not exist without an intelligent designer. The teleological or design argument is a derivative of the Greek word Telos which means end, goal or purpose. It is this end or purpose that Paley is looking for that suggests the existence of a divine creator. Aquinas’ fifth way ‘From the governance of things’ or design qua regularity argument (qua meaning through or pertaining to) foregrounding the argument for design, observed the universe and saw that everything in the universe appeared to be working in some sort of order. In particular he noticed that ‘natural bodies’ behaved in a regular way. Here Aquinas addresses flowers or insects - One could use the example of a daffodil that flowers in spring time. He then goes on to evaluate the fact that these natural bodies ‘lack intelligence’ - they are not conscious or sentient beings of their own movement, yet even so they appear to move or act in regular fashion - as...
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...Explain Hume’s criticisms of the teleological argument. (25) St. Thomas Aquinas’s teleological argument seeks to prove, a posteriori, the existence of an intelligent God by arguing that the world is full of inanimate, non-intelligent natural bodies which function in order, in an intelligent way. He said that for inanimate bodies to do this, they require an intelligent being to bring this action about. This being is God. The 18th-century philosopher David Hume wrote a book named Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion in which he criticised Aquinas’s teleological argument, and several other teleological arguments. Firstly, Hume says that the apparent intelligent functioning of many unintelligent bodies – e.g., the complex systems by which plants take up minerals from the soil to cause water uptake into their roots – can be explained by the ideas of natural selection and survival of the fittest, by which the organisms that happen by chance mutations to be most well-adapted to their environments are the ones which survive to reproduce, making their functions appear to be ordered specifically for their environments and therefore seeming designed. Therefore, apparent design may well not be in fact design. Hume uses this idea to criticise the major premise of Aquinas’s teleological argument. Hume also asserts that the world does not necessarily point to an intelligent designer. He uses the apparent cruelty often observed in nature – said to be “red in tooth and claw” – to argue...
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... • Arguments for design go back at least as far as the Greek philosopher Plato [428-347 B.C.] • Some distinguish between ‘qua regularity’ and ‘qua purpose’, meaning that some DA’s argue on the basis of there being regularity in the Universe whilst others claim there is evidence of the Universe being designed for a purpose. • Three main types of argument are: From order [regularity] From beauty Anthropic [purpose] William Paley [1743-1805] in Natural Theology: Evidences of The Existence and Attributes of the Deity [1805] • Makes use of analogy and likens the complexity of a watch to the complexity of the Universe. Since a watch is clearly designed, so is the Universe [qua regularity]. Also, the human eye is too complex to have arisen by chance so must be designed for some purpose [qua purpose] • Hume [1711-1776] in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion and An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding put forward a number of criticisms of the DA before Paley published his work: • Design and order could be the result of chance [the Epicurean hypothesis] • Hume believed the analogy on which the DA is based is unsound. If you compare the Universe with a watch which we know to be designed it is not surprising you come to the conclusion that the Universe is designed. If you compare the Universe with a carrot then you may not come to the same conclusion. Carrots may be the result of ‘self-regulation’. • ‘Like...
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...Hume criticism of the teleological argument questions the strength of Paley’s watchmaker analogy (although it must be noted that Hume’s criticism came 23 years before Paley made his argument) by debating whether the universe and watches are actually alike. If the universe and watches were alike, then it would be supposed that the universe has a designers because as Hume says ‘like effects presuppose like causes.’ For instance, if I saw two chocolate Mars bars I would be able to assume that they had the same cause, i.e. the same starting ingredients. However, Hume rejected Paley’s use of analogy as the watch and the universe are not similar. This is because the watch is mechanical while the universe is organic. We can assume a house has an architect and a builder because a house is unnatural and cannot be produced by nature. The universe on the other hand is natural however (unlike the watch used in Paley’s analogy), so the universe and the watch are not ‘like effects’, with Hume saying the analogy would work just as well between the watch and a giant vegetable. Evidently, it would not be plausible to conclude that the vegetable was designed. People have seen watches being made, so it cannot be debated whether they are designed, but no one has seen a universe being constructed neither is it as evident of design as the watch. Because of this Paley’s is flawed and cannot infer a designer. Although the world appears designed, this does not mean that the best explanation for this...
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...is evidence in the world around us of the existence of God therefore showing his Empirical knowledge. Furthermore Aquinas holds the belief that humans are always working towards something, such as knowledge (act for an end), as we strive to achieve the best outcome; meaning we do not achieve that end or outcome intentionally, instead it is for a reason. Aquinas reinforced the view that something which lacks knowledge cannot move towards an end, unless guided by a being ‘endowed with knowledge and intelligence’, therefore, this shows that there must be some intelligent being that exists, pushing humans towards a goal or an end. Aquinas concluded that this being is God. Much like Aquinas William Paley made the argument about the existence of God through an argument from design. Paley, a theologian thought of the analogy through the use of a stone and a watch. He said that if you came across a stone never having seen it before you would conclude it had always been there whereas if you came across a watch he would arrive at a very different outcome that due to the intricate workmanship it had been put together for a purpose and hadn’t always been there. Had the parts been arranged differently then it wouldn’t work meaning there must be a designer. This analogy is then used to compare the creation of the world...
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...According to William Paley’s “The Teleological Argument, the existence of God is based on the evidence that the world has an intelligent purpose and order and that the conclusion must be a higher power. Paley claims that the universe is set as a whole and that evidence has been shown of an intelligent designer. His arguments are based on empirical evidence , which is what we can see . The parts of the universe have an order, difficulty and simplicity that bring to mind the parts of a finely crafted machine. Paley also argues that there is further evidence for a Creator God in a Universe. Just because we don't know who the artist might be, it doesn't follow that we cannot know that there is one. The main question is “Does God truly exists.” The Bible also appears to reiterate the Teleological Argument when it states in Psalm 19:1-3: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. People of many years ago and today have different views on how this world began. People believe in different God’s and that they ruled the ancient years because of what people were taught about leaders or a higher power. So ask yourself, “If there is no God, than how does this big universe exist.” Because of this question there had to be greater power than just man to develop a whole universe and laws. As an example from a Christian...
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...Design Arguments St. Thomas Aquinas was an important theologian and philosopher whose work on the nature and existence of God and his arguments for a moral code based on the ‘natural law’ God has instilled in the universe have formed the central teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. He sought to bring faith and reason together in order to develop the place of theology in the world. The argument from design finds its origins in Aquinas’ Summa Theologica and is the fifth of his five ways of proving the existence of God. Aquinas’ argument can be explained as follows: “The fifth way is taken from the governance of the world. We see that things which lack knowledge, such as natural bodies, act for an end, and this is evident from their acting always, or nearly always, in the same way, so as to obtain the best result. Hence it is plain that they achieve their end, not fortuitously, but designedly. Now whatever lacks knowledge cannot move towards an end, unless it be directed by some being endowed with knowledge and intelligence; as the arrow is directed by the archer. Therefore some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God.” Aquinas argued from design qua regularity. He saw the overall order in the world as proof of a designer: ‘this being we call God.’ Aquinas stated that everything works together to achieve order, despite the fact that inanimate objects have no mind or rational powers to achieve...
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...Examine how the Teleological Argument for the existence of God has developed. The teleological argument is the design argument for the existence of God. The name is derived from the Greek word ‘telos’ which means “end” or “purpose”. This theory speaks about things in the universe that appear to fulfil a purpose. Such design could not have occurred by chance, the only explanation has to do with references to an intelligent, personal being. This makes it an ‘a posteriori’ argument. The origin of the teleological argument dates back to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato (424-348 BCE) who believed in a pre-existent universe. He believed that the universe wasn’t created by an intelligent being which he referred to as the ‘demi-urge’. Instead his theory stated that the demi-urge did not create the universe ex nihilo, he simply developed a universe which he already existed in. For Plato, this was a rational explanation as to why there’s order in the world rather than chaos. Aristotle (384-322 BCE) who was a student of Plato also contributed to this theory. He considered that based on all that can be observed in the world and the stars above, the only explanation for all the complexity and beauty that the world contains was a divine intelligence. He believed that there was a first unmoved mover who is responsible for all order that exists. Such a God was also viewed as possessing intelligence, goodness, eternity yet remained incorporeal. St. Thomas Aquinas (13th century) adapted...
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...ranked as the most powerful thinker; he was highly influenced by Aristotle. According to Aquinas’s argument, all things have a disposition or an order, in a way that when you look at the world, every object, every human and basically everything that exists had to be designed by someone, and that someone is God. Aquinas also believes that everything in this world has an aim, even the unintelligent beings, such as trees. For example, apple trees have a purpose of producing apples not bananas. There must be some intelligent being controlling and directing all the unintelligent to their end, and that being is in the name of God. William Paley, an English philosopher who was the first to analyze the argument from design. He published a book called natural theology, where he demonstrated that by studying nature, we can show the existence of God. Paley uses the analogy of the watch to prove the existence of God. He concluded that the watch didn’t just appear out of nowhere, but was designed by an intelligent being. A watch implies a watchmaker, yet everything that exists in this world implies an even greater designer, which we believe is God. The argument from design is A posteriori since they are not based on empirical evidence but from our own experiences. Aquinas explains that in this world there is order of causes, in the sense that a cause cannot be the cause of itself. Based on my perspectives and criticism, I believe that there is no clear evidence into why the universe needs...
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...The Open Destiny of Life In the short story “A Conversation with My Father,” written by Grace Paley, there are two stories intertwined. The main story is about a visit between a middle-aged woman and her elderly, bedridden father. It is during this visit that the two of them discuss fiction and give their opinion towards tragedy in literature and in life. The second is a story that the daughter creates for her father at his request. She proceeds to tell him a story about a mother who, in order to be closer to her drug-addicted son, decides to experiment with the same drug and becomes a drug-addict herself, only to be deserted by the son when he rises above his dependency. Building on her relationship with her own father, Paley artfully uses intertwined narratives and character relationships to present the themes of experience and opportunity. The central conflict between the father and daughter lies within their different life experiences due to a vast generation gap, leaving them with different views not only in life but also in literature. He is an eighty-six year old man, bedridden due to heart disease and, despite his health problems, fully alert. A physician by profession and an artist in retirement, he is still very particular with details and requires that of her as well. In comparison, the daughter, who is also the narrator, has a completely different view on life. Young, comfortable with herself and with changes necessitated by a changing world, she rejects her...
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...Baez 1 Daryl Baez Professor Loren Hoekzema English 102 08 28 September 2015 Response to Samuel Grace Paley opens the story with “Some boys are very tough. They are afraid of Nothing”, which to me leaves it open to danger and even death. It is a story that deals with risk and individualism. The action of the boys can be considered risky at best. The four boys were jiggling and hopping on the platform between the locked doors of the subway cars. Some men were observing their actions and at first thought of how much fun this must be given the weather conditions, but then they seemed to come to their senses and thought how “stupid” their actions clearly were giving how “little” they are. Some of them even thought of the brave things they did when they were young and thus jiggling did not seem so risky. The women on the other hand were angry at the boys’ actions and hoped they could see their extreme disapproval on their faces. One of them wanted to warn the boys, but given three of them being Negroes she feared embarrassment. However when the train came to a sudden slowdown she came to tell the boys that they would get hurt or even killed. Samuel, one of the four boys, just happened to be the one that was laughing the hardest at their reprimand. When a man whose childhood had been more watchful than brave, became angry and decided to pull on the emergency brake, it was Samuel who fell head first to be crushed and killed between the cars. The story also deals with...
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...GE217 Composition II Week 2 (B) Identifying logical Fallacies 1. Bandwagon Appeal: “Cash for Clunkers”; The New York Times, September 30, 2012 The argument on this article is about how the people think that something should to be done because the majority does it. The "Cash for Clunkers" program has been a success. By subsidizing the purchases of new, more fuel efficient vehicles for Americans willing to trade in their old gas guzzlers, this initiative makes a short-term investment in our long-term goals of environmental protection and decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels. 2. Ad Hominem: The education for women; Richard Norquist; This is an article from the year 1917 were women are not suppose to know everything like men, he’s argument and appeal that women should have the right to go be equal to men in terms of education. 3. Begging the question: “Murder is morally wrong, Therefore, abortion is morally wrong”;Hurley P. ; About.com The argument presumes the truth of a premise that isn’t stated, namely that abortion is murder. As this premise is far from obvious, and the arguer doesn’t even mention it (much less give it a defense), the argument begs the question. 4. Red Herring: Consequences of using Nuclear Power; Dean Babst and David Krieger; 1997 Here the arguer does nothing to address the issue of the dangers of nuclear power, but instead changes the subject to the danger of electricity. If there’s even an argument at all here, it certainly has nothing to...
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...expect to recreate a human eye. The point that I’m trying to make is that there is a lot we don’t understand when it comes to something to something as simple as a watch that it is impossible for us to understand something as complex as god, the universe, and even evolution. In point two he states “a watch sometimes [goes] wrong [yet] the purpose of the machinery, the design and the designer might be evident”(CITE). Paley argues that a machine does not have to be perfect to shown that it was created. It is true a watch might be beautifully created but still might fail to keep time that does not mean that it was not created or would we dismiss the idea of the watch complexity. In comparison we are not perfect as in we have flaws, both morally and physically we having flaws do not mean we weren’t created. First of all, god provided man with free will. A free will to accept his grace, love and all those things if we choose. If we think about it if he didn’t he would be creating emotionless robots. We are not perfect because we were not made to be perfect. Paley goes on to say “Every observation which was made in our first chapter concerning the watch may be repeated with strict propriety concerning the eye concerning animals . . . all the organized parts of the works of nature” (CITE) For example, if we take on something as complex as our universe would we not wonder if there is intelligent design behind it. All of our planets in our solar system are said are said to be formed...
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...SUMMARY OF PALEY’S EVIDENCES OF THE EXISTENCE Joseph K. Olumullah Ivy Tech Community College PHIL 220-obh-h1-201420 Instructor: Jeff Dodge 09/29/2014 SUMMARY William Paley was born in England in 1743-1805 and was a trained Anglican priest. William wrote several books on both Christianity and philosophy. One of the notable books that he wrote was teleological argument for the existence of God. His argument has gone some changes in the past years, the latest being christened “intelligent design”. This argument is the same as design argument and the only difference being that latter concludes that there is higher power that is called an “intelligent designer while the previous doesn’t called it “intelligent designer. Paley argues that...
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...Examine the arguments against the teleological argument for the existence of God? (30) The design argument is also known as The teleological argument; it is an argument for the existence of God or for a higher more intelligent creator. The earliest version of the argument is associated with Socrates in ancient Greece. One argument which disagrees with the teleological is an argument from the famous philosopher David Hume, who said that even though the universe shows features which imply there is design meaning there is a God, the world is also imperfect and full of suffering. This could suggest to us that there isn’t an all loving and omnibenevolent God, Hume also argued that there is no evidence that the universe needs a designer meaning that it could have just come about naturally, this would link back the teleological argument because in the teleological argument it states that the universe has order meaning that there must be a creator who provided this order, so Hume could suggest that order came about naturally without a God. Hume also stated that no one has any evidence to prove that the Universe is not just the result of pure chance or luck, this would go against the teleological argument because he is saying there was no God to design the world and it was a natural occurrence which wasn’t planned or designed. Hume argued for the early forms of the theory of natural selection, he said that animals can adapt to respond to their surrounding and that the large amounts...
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