what is the teleological argument for gods existence

How does the ontological argument prove the existence of God?

The ontological argument for the existence of God is a classical Christian argument that contends that the very concept of God logically and necessarily demands existence. It is the argument that, if one understands what is meant by the word “God” and follows it out to the logical conclusion, it is impossible for such a being not to exist.

What is the best argument for existence of God?

• There are objective moral facts.
• God provides the best explanation of the existence of objective moral facts.
• Therefore, (probably) God exists.

What are the theories of God's existence?

In philosophical terms, the question of the existence of God or deities involves the disciplines of epistemology (the nature and scope of knowledge) and ontology (study of the nature of being, existence, or reality) and the theory of value (since some definitions of God include "perfection").

What is the key objection to the teleological argument?

What is the key objection to the teleological argument? Objection 1: Bad Analogy. The Teleological Argument is based on analogy which, if taken seriously, actually yields pagan conclusions. If we extrapolate from the nature of the universe to the nature of its creator then we should infer from the finitude of the universe that the Creator is ...

What is the teleological argument for the existence of God quizlet?

The teleological argument for the existence of God is based around purpose and design (the Greek word "telos" actually means "end" or "purpose"). One feature of the argument is intelligent design, the idea that the world must have been designed by an almighty creator.

What is the design argument for the existence of God?

argument from design, or teleological argument, Argument for the existence of God. According to one version, the universe as a whole is like a machine; machines have intelligent designers; like effects have like causes; therefore, the universe as a whole has an intelligent designer, which is God.

What is the another name of teleological argument for the existence of God?

The teleological argument (from τέλος, telos, 'end, aim, goal'; also known as physico-theological argument, argument from design, or intelligent design argument) is an argument for the existence of God or, more generally, that complex functionality in the natural world which looks designed is evidence of an intelligent ...

What is the moral argument for the existence of God?

What is the moral argument? The argument states that all people have an instinctive sense of what is right and wrong. Even remote tribes which have limited contact with the outside world still have a sense of morality.

What would be an example of a teleological argument?

Teleological Argument: An Introduction ' More specifically, it refers to things which are explained in relation to their purpose, rather than as a consequence of their causes. For example, if you believe that human life has some or other purpose, then you have a teleological picture of humanity.

What are the three main arguments for the existence of God?

Much of the discussion has focused on Kant's “big three” arguments: ontological arguments, cosmological arguments, and teleological arguments.

What are the 5 major arguments for God's existence?

Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways to Prove the Existence of GodThe First Way: Motion.The Second Way: Efficient Cause.The Third Way: Possibility and Necessity.The Fourth Way: Gradation.The Fifth Way: Design.

What is wrong with the teleological argument?

In order to legitimately judge the provenance of the universe, we need to know whether other universe-like things are created mostly by nature or mostly by design. Since we cannot do this, the Teleological Argument is invalid.

What does the term teleological mean?

teleology, (from Greek telos, “end,” and logos, “reason”), explanation by reference to some purpose, end, goal, or function. Traditionally, it was also described as final causality, in contrast with explanation solely in terms of efficient causes (the origin of a change or a state of rest in something).

What are the three main arguments for the existence of God quizlet?

three sorts of epistemic arguments for theism: 'cosmological arguments', 'teleological arguments' and 'ontological arguments'.

How do we know that God exists?

As mentioned earlier, evidence for God's existence is widely available through creation, conscience, rationality and human experience.

Who created God?

We ask, "If all things have a creator, then who created God?" Actually, only created things have a creator, so it's improper to lump God with his creation. God has revealed himself to us in the Bible as having always existed. Atheists counter that there is no reason to assume the universe was created.

What is the main idea of the design argument?

The basic idea of the argument is that if we pay close attention to the details of the universe in which we live, we'll be able to see that that universe must have been created by an intelligent designer.

What are the 5 major arguments for God's existence?

Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways to Prove the Existence of GodThe First Way: Motion.The Second Way: Efficient Cause.The Third Way: Possibility and Necessity.The Fourth Way: Gradation.The Fifth Way: Design.

How does the design argument fail to prove the existence of God?

Weaknesses of the design argument Complexity does not necessarily mean design. Even if we accept that the world was designed, it cannot be assumed that its designer is God. And if it were designed by God, then the existence of evil and suffering in the world would suggest the belief that God is entirely good is false.

Which of the following is an argument used to explain the existence of God quizlet?

Which of the following is an argument used to explain the existence of God? Indecision, not making a decision, is actually a decision in itself.

What are some teleological arguments for God's existence?

Some phenomena within nature exhibit such exquisiteness of structure, function or interconnectedness that many people have found it natural to see a deliberative and directive mind behind those phenomena. The mind in question is typically taken to be supernatural.

What are teleological arguments?

Teleological arguments (or arguments from design) by contrast begin with a much more specialized catalogue of properties and end with a conclusion concerning the existence of a designer with the intellectual properties (knowledge, purpose, understanding, foresight, wisdom, intention) necessary to design the things exhibiting the special properties in question. In broad outline, then, teleological arguments focus upon finding and identifying various traces of the operation of a mind in nature’s temporal and physical structures, behaviors and paths. Order of some significant type is usually the starting point of design arguments.

What is resultant theistic argument?

The resultant theistic arguments, in their various logical forms, share a focus on plan, purpose, intention, and design, and are thus classified as teleological arguments (or, frequently, as arguments from or to design).

What did Hume argue about the stated conclusion?

More generally, Hume also argued that even if something like the stated conclusion (4) were established, that left the arguer far from anything like a traditional conception of God. For instance, natural evils or apparently suboptimal designs might suggest e.g., an amateur designer or a committee of designers.

What is Hume's theory of the cosmos?

Indeed, whereas advocates of design arguments frequently cited similarities between the cosmos on the one hand and human machines on the other, Hume suggested (tongue perhaps only partly in cheek) that the cosmos much more closely resembled a living organism than a machine.

What are the historical arguments of interest?

The historical arguments of interest are precisely the potentially problematic ones—inferences beginning with some empirical features of nature and concluding with the existence of a designer. A standard but separable second step—the natural theology step—involves identifying the designer as God, often via particular properties and powers required by the designing in question. Although the argument wielded its greatest intellectual influence during the 18th and early 19th centuries, it goes back at least to the Greeks and in extremely clipped form comprises one of Aquinas’s Five Ways. It was given a fuller and quite nice early statement by Hume’s interlocutor Cleanthes (1779 [1998], 15).

Who said that we could perceptually identify some things as more than mere candidates for design?

Some, like William Whewell, held that we could perceptually identify some things as more than mere candidates for design (Whewell 1834, 344). Thomas Reid also held a view in this region, [ 15] and Hume’s Cleanthes made suggestions in this direction.

What is the Teleological Argument for the existence of God?

The "Teleological Argument for the existence of God" is a member of the classic triad of arguments, which is completed by the Ontological Argument and the Cosmological Argument. Stated most succinctly, it runs:

How to evaluate the Teleological Argument?

To evaluate the Teleological Argument in the light of competing explanations, we must ask whether the extent of adaptiveness in the universe is sufficient to warrant the theistic conclusion. As the problem is formulated in Hume's Dialogues, is there a close enough analogy between the universe and a machine? This requires judging the relative proportion of adaptive features to nonadaptive or maladaptive features. In addition to taking account of Tennant's enumeration of the ways in which the shape of things is instrumental to the realization of valuable ends, we must look at the other side of the picture and try to form an adequate impression of (1) the ways in which the shape of things is neutral, providing neither for good nor for evil, and (2) the ways in which the shape of things frustrates the search for value.

What are the factors that contribute to evolution?

In this theory (as developed since Charles Darwin) two factors are considered to play the major role: mutations and overpopulation. (A mutation occurs when an offspring differs from its parents in such a way that it will pass this difference along to its offspring, and they will pass it along, and so on. It is a relatively permanent genetic change.)

How to say that a group of elements is ordered in a certain way?

Generally speaking, to say that a group of elements is ordered in a certain way is to say that they are interrelated so as to form a definite pattern, but the notion of a definite pattern is vague. Any set of elements is interrelated in one way rather than another, and any complex of interrelations might be construed by someone as a definite pattern. Certain patterns are of special interest for one reason or another, and when one of these is exhibited, the complex would ordinarily be said to be ordered. Thus, when the elements form a pattern in whose perception we take intrinsic delight, we can speak of aesthetic order. When there are discernible regularities in the way, certain elements occur in spatiotemporal proximity, we can speak of causal order. The distinctive thing about teleological (Greek, telos, "end" or "goal") order is that it introduces the notion of processes and structures being fitted to bring about a certain result.

What is the teleological argument for God?

The teleological argument for the existence of God (also known as the Design argument) moves from the world which shows evidence of intelligible order to divine intelligence as the source of that order. The idea in some form goes back to the ancient world. Plato, for example, in ancient Greece, argued ...

How many objections did Hume have to the teleological argument?

Hume’s nine objections of Hume have caused religious philosophers to hesitate before putting forward the kind of design argument we find in Cleanthes (Hume’s fictional character) and william Paley’s writings. Consequently, the modern defenders of the teleological, argument tend to argue for it in what we earlier called the way (ii).

What then can we say finally about the force of the design argument?

It establishes the possibility of God by drawing attention to a mysteriousness which only theism could finally resolve or so the advocates would argue. Although the argument itself is logical, the human response to the complex order of the world expressed in the design argument continues as strongly as ever. The argument can, therefore, be seen as a restatement of a basic religious attitude of wonder rather than an attempt to prove God’s existence.

What is Paley's analogy?

Paley then applied his analogy directly to the world. Every example of design, which existed in the watch, exists in the works of nature. Paley provided detailed cases: e.g There is precisely the same proof that the eye was made for vision, as there is that the telescope was made for assisting it.

What does the watch itself convince us?

i) The watch itself convinces us that it is a product of intelligence. The fact that we have never seen a watch being made does not weaken our inference.

How many ways are there to argue for the existence of design?

There are two ways of arguing for the existence of design in the world:

Who defined the design argument drawing attention to the regularities of events governed by what we call the laws of nature?

Richard Swinburne has defined the design argument drawing attention to the regularities of events governed by what we call the laws of nature. We can, for example, accept the basic laws of atomic physics as brute facts or explain them in terms of personal and rational agency. The latter choice is to be preferred because, Swinburne arques, the regularities in the natural world follow the pattern of regularity set up by human agency. It is doubtful, however whether this view would carry much weight for sceptics reared.

What is the teleological argument?

The teleological argument has roots in ancient Greek philosophy. These philosophers were excited over what they perceived to be order in the universe, notably when perceiving the “heavens” and celestial bodies. They argued that this order was the work of an intelligent mind responsible for creating it (1). Plato, for example, believed that two things “lead men to believe in the gods.” One was from his idea of the soul and the other from teleology. Plato argued that one could infer teleology “from the order of the motion of the stars, and of all things under the dominion of the mind which ordered the universe” (Laws 12.966e). For Plato, there must be a “maker and father of all” who furnished primordial chaos into the universe that was observable to him (Laws 10.893b-899c). We also find divine teleology in Aristotle’s work who was equally impressed by the universe (Metaphysica 1.982610-15). Aristotle thought that behind the universe there must have been an Unmoved Mover which was something intelligent and eternal, and the source of order in the cosmos.

Who are some of the most influential philosophers who believe in the teleological argument?

Notable among the latter are William Lane Craig, Alvin Plantinga , Georges Dicker, F. R. Tennant , Peter Bertocci, Stuart Hackett, and Richard Swinburne. Craig argues that cosmological science has revitalized interest in the teleological argument (4). Craig writes that “the scientific community has been stunned by its discovery of how complex and sensitive a nexus of conditions must be given in order for the universe to permit the origin and evolution of intelligent life on Earth” (5).

What are the fundamental constants that Craig discovered?

These quantities include fundamental constants such as electromagnetic interaction, proton to electron mass ratio, gravitation, and the weak and strong nuclear force. When one assigns values to these constants he discovers that the chance of the universe being able to support intelligent life is incredibly small.

Who is the most famous scientist who argued that the universe is made of parts?

An amazement at the apparent design of the universe found expression in the work of William Paley (d. 1805), a philosopher and Christian apologist remembered for his work on Natural Theology (1804). Paley was thorough in his efforts to scrutinize the sciences of his time for any evidence of design in nature. He collected a great deal of research on anatomy such as bones, muscles, blood vessels, and organs found within animals and plants. Most famously, Paley is remembered for his watch-maker argument. The watch-maker analogy proposed the scenario that supposes one finds a watch on the ground and wonders how it came to be. It would surely be absurd to argue that the watch has always just been there and has no explanation for its existence. No, Paley argued, the watch cries out for explanation. It especially cries out because it has been clearly designed as several parts are framed and put together for a purpose. Paley concluded that “the inference, we think, is inevitable; that the watch must have had a maker; that there must have existed, at some time, and at some place or other, an artificer or artificers, who formed it for the purpose which we find it actually to answer; who comprehended its construction, and designed its use” (2).

Who said that the discoverers of the watch do not need to know how the watch was made to reason to the conclusion?

Paley also argued that the discoverers of the watch do not need to know how the watch was made to reason to the conclusion that it was designed. Paley then extrapolated from the watch to nature: just as one must infer a watch-maker who is the designer of the watch, one must also infer a designer of nature,

Is the fine tuning of the universe due to necessity?

Craig argues that the fine-tuning of the universe is not due to necessity. There is no reason for the constants and quantities of nature to have the exact values that they do (8). It was entirely possible for the universe to be life-prohibiting; in fact, if one were to rewind cosmic evolution the chances of having a life-permitting universe like we have now seem to be very unlikely.

What is the teleological argument?

The teleological argument (from τέλος, telos, 'end, aim, goal'; also known as physico-theological argument, argument from design, or intelligent design argument) is an argument for the existence of God or, more generally, that complex functionality in the natural world which looks designed is evidence ...

Which religions developed teleological arguments?

Religious thinkers in Judaism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Islam and Christianity also developed versions of the teleological argument. Later, variants on the argument from design were produced in Western philosophy and by Christian fundamentalism .

What is Galen's connection to the teleological argument?

Galen's connection of the teleological argument to discussions about the complexity of living things, and his insistence that this is possible for a practical scientist, foreshadows some aspects of modern uses of the teleological argument.

What is Plato's teleological perspective?

Plato's teleological perspective is also built upon the analysis of a priori order and structure in the world that he had already presented in The Republic. The story does not propose creation ex nihilo; rather, the demiurge made order from the chaos of the cosmos, imitating the eternal Forms.

What is the role of Islamic philosophy in the Middle Ages?

Early Islamic philosophy played an important role in developing the philosophical understandings of God among Jewish and Christian thinkers in the Middle Ages, but concerning the teleological argument one of the lasting effects of this tradition came from its discussions of the difficulties which this type of proof has. Various forms of the argument from design have been used by Islamic theologians and philosophers from the time of the early Mutakallimun theologians in the 9th century, although it is rejected by fundamentalist or literalist schools, for whom the mention of God in the Qu'ran should be sufficient evidence. The argument from design was also seen as an unconvincing sophism by the early Islamic philosopher Al-Farabi, who instead took the "emanationist" approach of the Neoplatonists such as Plotinus, whereby nature is rationally ordered, but God is not like a craftsman who literally manages the world. Later, Avicenna was also convinced of this, and proposed instead a cosmological argument for the existence of God.

How to understand Schlesinger's argument?

To understand Schlesinger's argument, consider your reaction to two different events. If John wins a 1-in-1,000,000,000 lottery game, you would not immediately be tempted to think that John (or someone acting on his behalf) cheated. If, however, John won three consecutive 1-in-1,000 lotteries, you would immediately be tempted to think that John (or someone acting on his behalf) cheated. Schlesinger believes that the intuitive reaction to these two scenarios is epistemically justified. The structure of the latter event is such that it… justifies a belief that intelligent design is the cause… Despite the fact that the probability of winning three consecutive 1-in-1,000 games is exactly the same as the probability of winning one 1-in-1,000,000,000 game, the former event… warrants an inference of intelligent design.

Who is the principal demonstrative proof of the existence of God?

In fact then, Averroes treated the teleological argument as one of two "religious" arguments for the existence of God. The principal demonstrative proof is, according to Averroes, Aristotle's proof from motion in the universe that there must be a first mover which causes everything else to move.

Who said the origins of the laws of nature and of life point clearly to an intelligent source?

In fact, it was the argument from and to design that convinced what used to be atheism's greatest philosopher and spokesman – Anthony Flew – to abandon his atheism and embrace the concept of a Creator. Stating his position on the matter, Flew simply said: "I think the origins of the laws of nature and of life and the Universe point clearly to an intelligent Source. The burden of proof is on those who argue to the contrary."

Who said that the universe, the Earth, and life on earth display design?

The most vocal atheist alive today, Richard Dawkins, says: "Living objects . . . look designed, they look overwhelmingly as though they're designed.

Who said that the message encoded in DNA must have originated from an intelligent cause?

Noted biophysicist Dean Kenyon states the conclusion on DNA plainly when he says: "If science is based on experience, then science tells us that the message encoded in DNA must have originated from an intelligent cause. What kind of intelligent agent was it? On its own, science cannot answer this question; it must leave it to religion and philosophy. But that should not prevent science from acknowledging evidences for an intelligent cause origin wherever they may exist."

What is the teleological argument?

The teleological argument comes from the Greek word telos, meaning “purpose, end, or goal.”. It is an argument from design and purpose. Everything in the universe has a purpose and everything appears to have been specially designed to fit that purpose.

What does the Psalmist say about God?

The psalmist wrote the following about the God of the Bible. You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart. ( Psalm 104:14, 15 NRSV)

Why do we believe in a designer?

Indeed, we believe in this Designer because the evidence forces us to that conclusion. There is something else which we must appreciate.

What is the oldest illustration of a watch?

The Illustration from the Watch. One of the oldest illustrations that is used to point to design is that of a ticking, working, watch. When a person examines a watch it bears the all the marks of something that has been specifically designed. There are a number of parts of the watch that are put together for a purpose.

Why are parts of a watch put together?

They are arranged in such a way as to regulate the motion of the watch in order to tell time. Two things can be inferred from looking at the design of a watch. First, the watch had to have had a maker.

Is the designer of our universe all powerful?

Again, it is possible that the designer of our universe is not necessarily the being with the greatest power.

Can the universe be traced back to a single origin?

Either is possible. From the design itself, we do not have an answer to this question. Thus, we cannot assume that the design and purpose of the universe can be traced back to a single origin.

What is the teleological argument?

51). Teleology is the study of a thing’s purpose or design (Powell, p. 51).

Does science reject the existence of God?

It is difficult to understand how science, the discipline involved in research and discovery, many times rejects the evidence for God it uncovers in its daily work. This rejection is not based on empirical evidence, but on the fact that they have presuppositions that exclude the possibility of the existence of God. Therefore, they have already made up their minds that any discovery made cannot be attributed to a supernatural cause.

Do Christians believe the Bible is true?

M ost Christians have a presupposition that the Bible is true. These Christians do not have to have the Bible proven to them; they accept it as God’s Word. They accept it as containing the very words that God wanted written, and they accept those Words as containing everything necessary to the knowledge of salvation (2 Corinthians 4:6, 10:5; Ephesians 1:17, 4:13; Colossians 1:9-10, 2:2-3, 3:10; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Timothy 2:25; Philemon 1:6; 2 Peter 1:2; and many more). I am one of those Christians.

Is the Teleological Argument man made?

The Bible tells us that the Teleological Argument, although not specifically called by that name, is not a man-made construct, but it truly exists.

What is the ontological argument for God?

The ontological argument for the existence of God is one of the few arguments originating in logic rather than observation. Teleological and cosmological arguments, for instance, demonstrate how the existence of God best explains apparent design in nature and the nature of causality, respectively. In contrast, the ontological argument relies on ...

Why does the ontological argument cling to life?

The other reason the ontological argument clings to life is the idea of objective truth. Concepts such as power, knowledge, goodness, and so forth assume there is some standard by which to judge those ideas.

Why do people reject ontological arguments?

Most who reject ontological arguments do so for that reason, even if they can’t articulate why. It simply “feels” wrong; our rational instincts react against the idea of simply defining something to exist. For most people, non-believers in particular, the ontological argument carries little impact.

What are the drawbacks of ontological argument?

The main drawback of the ontological argument is logical: it’s not clear how concepts such as “greatness” and “existence” apply in a purely logical setting. It would be circular and illogical to simply say, “God by definition exists; therefore, He exists.”. Still, adding the stipulation that God is the “greatest possible” being doesn’t seem ...

What is the core of Anselm's position?

The core of Anselm’s position is that God is “a being than which no greater can be conceived.”. According to Anselm, existing is “greater than” not existing; therefore, God must exist as the “greatest” thing of which one can conceive. In somewhat plainer language, Anselm suggested that God is the “best” thing possible, ...

Who said God is a being than which no greater can be conceived?

The ontological argument has been phrased in many ways. The most well-known comes from Anselm in the eleventh century. The core of Anselm ’s position is that God is “a being than which no greater can be conceived.”.

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Introduction

Design Inference Patterns

• The historical arguments of interest are precisely the potentiallyproblematic ones—inferences beginning with some empiricalfeatures of nature and concluding with the existence of a designer. Astandard but separable second step—the natural theologystep—involves identifying the designer as God, often viaparticular properties and powers required by th...

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Alternative Explanation

Further Contemporary Design Discussions

The Persistence of Design Thinking

Conclusion

Teleological Order

Arguments from Particular Cases of Design

Argument from The Universe as A Whole

• No argument that, like the Teleological Argument, is designed to show that facts in nature require a certain explanation, can establish the existence of a deity absolutely unlimited in power, knowledge, or any other respect. By such reasoning we can infer no more in the cause than is required to produce the effect. This deficiency is irremediable. ...

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Bibliography

Two Main Types of Teleological Argument For The Existence of God

See more on philosophyzer.com

Critique of The Teleological Argument For God – David Hume

Paley’s Teleological Argument For God

Richard Swinburne

on The Legacy of Hume

What Then Can We Say Finally About The Force of The Design argument?