Category: Teleological

Definition

• Aquinas (5^th Way)
• Paley
• Parable of the Gardener
• Definition
• Observation
• Telos

Strengths

• Inductive / logical
• A posteriori / evidence
• Probability
• Aesthetic
• Providential
• Anthropic
• Co succession / co presence

Weaknesses

• Inductive- only one of possible conclusions
• Kant – order only apparent
• Analogy too stretched “our experience…”
• Beauty is necessary for survival; might be merely programming
• Darwin, evolution, random changes, survival of the fittest, natural selection
• Universe flawed; designer flawed
• Arrogance of Man
• Why God?

Evaluation

• Ockham’s Razor
• Leap too far
• Doesn’t prove God’s existence
• Even if design, could be mindless, says nothing more.
• Modern science
• Is God the simplest answer?

 

Evaluation:

In conclusion then, AJ Ayer said that to speak of a designed universe was meaningless unless one could know what a universe would be like which wasn’t. On the other hand the amount of order in the universe still needs an explanation since it seems to be much more than is necessary for just survival.

What is clear however is that the universe is ‘religiously ambiguous’ I.e. God is not necessarily the only explanation for its features. And even if we were to conclude that a powerful being had designed the universe we could not go beyond that to state what other characteristics it might have like being morally perfect or omnipotent. Ultimately Hume is right when he argues that our experience is too limited to make any relevant conclusion about the nature, purpose or origin of the universe.

Of course Aquinas when he formulated his 5 ways was only trying to say that that faith in God could be justified on rational grounds. and this is only one of his arguments, but perhaps as one of an arsenal of similar arguments perhaps on the balance of probability it could be said that God is more likely to exist than not and let the atheists make their case!