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The teleological argument, also known as the argument from design, is one of the most well-known

and widely debated arguments for the existence of God. It is based on the idea that the complexity
and order in the universe can only be explained by the existence of an intelligent designer.

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Existence of God: Teleological Argument. Psalm 8:5, 19:1 January 29, 2017. Existence of God:
Teleological Argument. No one thinks Mr. Rubik just by chance caught the Rubik Cube from an
explosion at a plastic factory. Yet this is the Logic applied to the universe and God. we can view the
constant arrangement of the universe as having a message and a purpose.In my opinion the argument
with the most evidence is regularity. This states that there is so much order in the world that there
must have been a designer who set this order. Richard Swinburne (1979), 'The Existence of God'
says that 'constants that make up the laws of nature i.e. One of the main qualitative aspects of the
theological approach to tacking the divinity-related subject matter is that it is thoroughly rational.
That is, in their strive to prove the existence of God, theologians mainly operate with the categories
of logic, which in turn is expected to legitimize the validity of the would-be obtained insights into
the issue at stake, on their part. As Velasquez noted: “Literally speaking, theology means simply the
rational study of God” (241). To exemplify the soundness of the above-stated, we can well refer to
the so-called teleological (or ‘design’) line of argumentation, which is being usually deployed by
theologians, on the way of promoting the idea that God indeed exists. TELEOLOGICAL ETHICS.
ARISTOTLE (384-322 B.C.). Born in Stagira, Greece (near Macedonia) Aristotle’s father
introduced him to anatomy, medicine and philosophy – he had a well-learned childhood Parents died
when he was 17 Plato taught and mentored Aristotle A: Examine the Design Argument for the
existence of God. (10) The Design (Teleological) Argument. N.B. This goes with the Origin of Life
section, and the First Cause Argument goes with the Origin of the universe section. The Design
Argument. Set out originally by William Paley in 1802 in a book called Natural Theology. Velasquez,
Manuel. Philosophy, A Text with Readings. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. ..... • Hume
furthermore stated that even if there was a designer, why does it just have to be the ONE designer,
could it not be a team of Gods or and inferior God? He says that a team of builders are needed to
build a ship, so why not a team of Gods to build the universe? • Although this seems to make sense,
Hume is actually contradicting himself by using an analogy to defeat Paley, whereas before he said
that analogies are weak if you compare two different things... Here again he is comparing a ship to
the universe • So therefore his criticism is again deafeated. Join StudyHippo to see entire essay
TurnItIn – the anti-plagiarism experts are also used by: King's College London, Newcastle
University, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, WJEC, AQA, OCR and Edexcel The
teleological argument boasts several strengths that contribute to its enduring appeal. Need an custom
research paper on Teleological Argument for God’s Existence written from scratch by a professional
specifically for you? Bishop Samuel Wilberforce at a meeting of the British Association in 1860
said, 'The principle of natural selection... is absolutely incompatible with God. Religious Studies
(Philosophy & Ethics) Hume, David. Why Does God Let People Suffer? Oxford, Clarendon Press:
1976. Print. Teleological Argument. Learning Intentions:. By the end of this lesson you will be able
to… Describe the Teleological Argument as set out by William Paley. Design and Evolution. This
section of the course looks at the complexity of the world and how it could have been created. It is
also necessary to state that there were many famous philosophers who believed in Supreme Power
and denied the impact of evolution on the Universe creation. On the other hand, it should be noted
that the supporters of the opposite opinion had their own arguments, which rejected the idea of
God’s existence. © 2024 SlideServe. All rights reserved An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to
download presentation This website and its content is subject to our Terms and Conditions. Tes
Global Ltd is registered in England (Company No 02017289) with its registered office at Building
3, St Paul’s Place, Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 2JE be believed that it wasn't designed by anyone,
these odd coincidences need to be explained. Thus, taking into account the above-mentioned
suggestions, it becomes obvious that the Universe appeared, because it was also created by
somebody. In other words, the complexity of the world implies the existence of God (or the
Universe-maker) as well as the complexity of a certain mechanism also implies the existence of a
mender, etc. David Hume offered substantial criticisms of the teleological argument. He contended
that order and purpose are inherent aspects of the world, and attributing them solely to God's design
is unwarranted. Hume emphasized that recognizing purpose and design in nature is a common
human tendency but does not necessitate a divine explanation. Thus, William Paley is considered to
be a philosopher, who belongs to the first category. The Teleological Argument created by Paley
gives us an opportunity to analyze the so-called pros of the philosophical issue; while the works
written by other-minded philosophers provide us with important data, which influence our
evaluation of Paley’s worldview. You can get a custom paper by one of our expert writers. The
Design or Teleological Argument for the Existence of God. Department of Philosophy and Religion
Wellington College V 1.1, GJW, Mich 2012. What is the argument?. The argument basically works
as follows: The world contains order, regularity, purpose, and beauty. The aim of the teleological
argument like so many others is to attempt to prove the existence of God or another 'Being' that
created the world. This argument is a posteriori meaning that it is based on experience and also
inductive meaning that there is no certainty in the outcome. ' Swinburne believes that the victim
reasoning is correct. He says, 'There is something extraordinary about ten hearts being drawn - the
fact that this is a necessary condition of anything being seen is not the point.' Swinburne is trying to
stress the point that just because we cannot see God it does not mean that he doesn't exist.Fred
Hoyle, 'The Intelligent Universe' also supports Swinbourne view, 'A component has evidently been
missing from cosmological studies. The origin of the Universe, like the solution of the rubik cube,
requires intelligence.' Further on into the book he says, 'properties seem to run through the fabric of
the natural world like a thread of happy accidents.
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds IvyPanda. (2023, December 7). Ontological
Vision vs. Teleological Argument. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ontological-vision-vs-teleological-
argument/ But there are so many of these odd coincidences essential to life that some explanation
seems required to account for them.' Hoyle makes the point that the inter-relatedness of organisms
and the earth is too much of a 'perfect coincidence' to Registered office: , , , . The Anthropic Principle
• There is also further evidence in the universe to support Paley. • Gravity - if gravity was only
slightly stronger, we would all be crushed and die. But if it was somewhat weaker then we would not
stay on the ground. • The Earth - if the Earth was any closer to the sun we would burn and die. But
if we were any closer to the moon then we would freeze and die. Prezydenta Gabriela Narutowicza
Street, No. 40, loc. 1, Need an custom research paper on Ontological Vision vs. Teleological
Argument written from scratch by a professional specifically for you? of our expert writers 90-135,
The minimum time our certified writers need to deliver The existence of the world is considered to
be an outcome of sets of rules of metallic nature. The philosopher still does not differentiate between
descriptive laws and prescriptive ones. Don't use plagiarized sources. Get your custom essay on
Contrary to some objections, the teleological argument is not inherently at odds with scientific
explanations of the universe. Evolution, for instance, can be seen as the means by which the divine
designer implemented their plan for life on Earth. Richard Swinburne argued that science's success
in revealing the universe's orderly nature aligns with the existence of an even greater cause—the
designer. This website and its content is subject to our Terms and Conditions. Tes Global Ltd is
registered in England (Company No 02017289) with its registered office at Building 3, St Paul’s
Place, Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 2JE Report this resourceto let us know if it violates our terms
and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch. This means
that this argument cannot prove either way if the existence of God is a certain fact.The word 'telos'
means end or 'goal'. This signifies that the argument proves that everything has a particular goal or
purpose in life, which will eventually come to an end.This argument aims to contradict Darwin's
theory of natural selection. Supporting evidence • There does seem to be design in nature. For
example: • Penguins are so suited to their habitat, they live in icy, wet and cold conditions in the
Antarctic, they could not survive in the rainforest or the dessert. “ Ok, let me say I’m extremely
satisfy with the result while it was a last minute thing. I really enjoy the effort put in. ” This website
and its content is subject to our Terms and Conditions. Tes Global Ltd is registered in England
(Company No 02017289) with its registered office at Building 3, St Paul’s Place, Norfolk Street,
Sheffield, S1 2JE This is IvyPanda's free database of academic paper samples. It contains thousands
of paper examples on a wide variety of topics, all donated by helpful students. You can use them for
inspiration, an insight into a particular topic, a handy source of reference, or even just as a template
of a certain type of paper. The database is updated daily, so anyone can easily find a relevant essay
example. This word document includes potential and past essay questions with detailed high quality
essay plans that can appear on your A-level examination. These essay plans have been marked by
teachers with a range of B - A* level work. The Teleological Argument. Aquinas, Paley (1743-1805)
The Argument: Two Ways To View It: First Way: Argument By Analogy 1. Aspects Of Natural
World Are Like Machines 2. Machines Are Produced By Intelligent Design 3. Therefore, Aspects Of
Natural World Are Produced By Intelligent Design (God). Resource type: Assessment and revision
Generally, the problem of evil was studied by many philosophers; however, I would like to highlight
some important points David Hume presented. Thus, he recognized certain Circumstances Evil is
created by. For instance, the author states that “Pains and Pleasures are employ’d to excite all
Creatures to Action, and make them vigilant in the great Work of Self-preservation” (Hume 50).
That is probably one of the key points of Hume’s work. IvyPanda. (2020, June 12). Teleological
Argument for God's Existence. https://ivypanda.com/essays/teleological-argument-for-gods-existence
/
Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics) This website and its content is subject to our Terms and
Conditions. Tes Global Ltd is registered in England (Company No 02017289) with its registered
office at Building 3, St Paul’s Place, Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 2JE Report this resourceto let us
know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and
will be in touch. Despite its strengths, the teleological argument faces several challenges and
criticisms. One of its primary strengths lies in its logical coherence. The design and order observed in
the universe are readily apparent and comprehensible to people of varying backgrounds. Richard
Swinburne emphasized that the complexity and precision of the universe cannot be fully explained
by science alone. It aligns more naturally with the existence of an intelligent being, namely God, who
crafted the universe with a purpose. The kidnapper told his victim that if the machine did not draw all
the ace of hearts, one from each pack, he would die. The machine begins to deal out cards and to the
relief of the victim out comes ten aces of hearts.The victim tries to explain way this happen and the
only possibility he thought was that the machine must have been rigged. The kidnapper casts doubt
on this suggestion saying, 'It is hardly surprising that the machine draws only aces of hearts. You
could not possibly see anything else for you would not be here to see anything at all if any other card
had been draw. Home Page Argument The Teleological Argument Essay Example Existence of God:
Teleological Argument. Psalm 8:5, 19:1 January 29, 2017. Existence of God: Teleological Argument.
No one thinks Mr. Rubik just by chance caught the Rubik Cube from an explosion at a plastic
factory. Yet this is the Logic applied to the universe and God. The Argument. The Argument. Each
offspring derives half its genes from its mother and half from its father ( Equal Contribution of
Parents ). The Argument. Each offspring derives half its genes from its mother and half from its
father ( Equal Contribution of Parents ) The teleological argument assumes certain attributes of God,
such as benevolence and intentionality. Critics argue that these assumptions may not be justified
solely based on the observed order and purpose in the universe. Tennant and others questioned
whether the world's design necessarily implies the existence of a benevolent deity. To ensure quality
for our reviews, only customers who have downloaded this resource can review it This website and
its content is subject to our Terms and Conditions. Tes Global Ltd is registered in England (Company
No 02017289) with its registered office at Building 3, St Paul’s Place, Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1
2JE David Hume offered substantial criticisms of the teleological argument. He contended that order
and purpose are inherent aspects of the world, and attributing them solely to God's design is
unwarranted. Hume emphasized that recognizing purpose and design in nature is a common human
tendency but does not necessitate a divine explanation. The Teleological Argument. Arguments for
the Existence of God. The Teleological Argument. Any form of the Teleological Argument reasons a
posteriori from the apparent order and design of the universe to an intelligent cause: Order and
design is the product of mind . Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds We will
write a custom essay on your topic The Teleological Argument. also known as “ the argument from
design ”. ‘ teleological ’ comes from the Greek word ‘ telos ’ – meaning ‘design’ or ‘purpose’ Other
counter-arguments should be also discussed. One can state that the mechanism can require numerous
functions, which were not originally designed. The same can be said about the Universe. However,
the philosopher points out that it is not important whether one is familiar with the functions of a
mechanism or no. The functions can exist, regardless of our knowledge about them. The anthropic
argument explores the idea that every part of the world serves a specific purpose, such as the role of
trees in converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. From this perspective, natural elements and systems
appear to be deliberately designed to fulfill their functions, implying a creator who fashioned the
world to serve these purposes. Tennant's observation that the universe seems tailored for human
existence underscores this aspect of the teleological argument. By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”,
you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. We’ll occasionally send you promo and account
related email One of the main qualitative aspects of the theological approach to tacking the divinity-
related subject matter is that it is thoroughly rational. That is, in their strive to prove the existence of
God, theologians mainly operate with the categories of logic, which in turn is expected to legitimize
the validity of the would-be obtained insights into the issue at stake, on their part. As Velasquez
noted: “Literally speaking, theology means simply the rational study of God” (241). To exemplify the
soundness of the above-stated, we can well refer to the so-called teleological (or ‘design’) line of
argumentation, which is being usually deployed by theologians, on the way of promoting the idea
that God indeed exists. In this, Paley makes the analogy of the world with a watch. In short, this
argument states, 'If we were walking along a deserted beach and came across a watch, we wouldn't
just simply walk past and think, "there's a watch". We would begin to wonder where the watch came
from; who put it there. As you examine the watch closely, you can see the intricacies and
contrivances that suggest a designer.' In the same way, if you look at the world and how a
complicated place it is, you simply cannot believe that everything happened simply by chance.There
are two options that the passenger would think about in reasoning why the stones got there. We will
write a custom essay on your topic This is an active, thought provoking and highly practical approach
to this head-bender of a topic. I think it would also benefit from some input on Aquinas's theories.
Another thing I find useful is adding in a terminology exercise where students use their stimulus
material or reading to define the terms and put them in a written task. I love, too that you've
included a consolidation exercise at the end. This is going to really help me and I appreciate that it's
clearly written by a recent graduate with tip-top, shiny knowledge and application. i absolutely love
the co-incidence exercise; so simply but so effective. Thank you so much for this. A: Examine the
Design Argument for the existence of God. (10)
One of its primary strengths lies in its logical coherence. The design and order observed in the
universe are readily apparent and comprehensible to people of varying backgrounds. Richard
Swinburne emphasized that the complexity and precision of the universe cannot be fully explained
by science alone. It aligns more naturally with the existence of an intelligent being, namely God, who
crafted the universe with a purpose. This means that this argument cannot prove either way if the
existence of God is a certain fact.The word 'telos' means end or 'goal'. This signifies that the
argument proves that everything has a particular goal or purpose in life, which will eventually come
to an end.This argument aims to contradict Darwin's theory of natural selection. Pages: 5 (1125
words) Strengths • It does seem to make sense, as all we have to do is look around us and we can
see design in the world. • Also, there does seem to be some science behind it, because of the
Anthropic Principle and Intelligent Design (ID) Download presentation by click this link. While
downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have
deleted the file from their server. The anthropic argument explores the idea that every part of the
world serves a specific purpose, such as the role of trees in converting carbon dioxide into oxygen.
From this perspective, natural elements and systems appear to be deliberately designed to fulfill their
functions, implying a creator who fashioned the world to serve these purposes. Tennant's observation
that the universe seems tailored for human existence underscores this aspect of the teleological
argument. On the other hand, one can say that Paley’s argument has no sense, as human mind
functions in such a way that everything can be regarded differently, and a certain order can be
imposed on things irrespective of such order’s presence. This word document includes potential and
past essay questions with detailed high quality essay plans that can appear on your A-level
examination. These essay plans have been marked by teachers with a range of B - A* level work.
At the time of William Paley (1802) there were many scientific discoveries which point to a
designer/God. William Paley used the example of the watch. He argued that if someone walking
across a heath were to come across a watch and then examine it. You would come to the conclusion
that the watch must have a watchmaker because the watch is very intricate and everything works
together. You look at the effect (the watch) and determine what caused it (the Watchmaker). You
would not know the watch's purpose but you would still come to the conclusion that ... gravity, the
theory of electron and the initial expansion of the universe, all suggest that the world was specifically
designed by a great Being.'A.E Taylor states 'nature reveals an anticipatory design that chance
evolution cannot account for. For example, the body's need for the oxygen and the bodily
membranes it anticipate us inhaling oxygen. Need an custom research paper on Ontological Vision
vs. Teleological Argument written from scratch by a professional specifically for you? As far as a
mechanism can be constructed in numerous ways, it can be regarded as the so-called chance event.
The same can be said about the Universe. According to Paley, the design cannot be regarded as a
chance event. The supposition seems to be absurd and has no sense. In this, Paley makes the analogy
of the world with a watch. In short, this argument states, 'If we were walking along a deserted beach
and came across a watch, we wouldn't just simply walk past and think, "there's a watch". We would
begin to wonder where the watch came from; who put it there. As you examine the watch closely,
you can see the intricacies and contrivances that suggest a designer.' In the same way, if you look at
the world and how a complicated place it is, you simply cannot believe that everything happened
simply by chance.There are two options that the passenger would think about in reasoning why the
stones got there. Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards The Design Argument
I am new to teaching A-Level and I would really appreciate any feedback. Thanks :) This resource
hasn't been reviewed yet © 2024 SlideServe. All rights reserved William Paley's watch analogy, a
cornerstone of the teleological argument, is accessible and relatable to a wide audience. It serves as a
straightforward illustration of design and purpose in the natural world. Moreover, modern scientific
discoveries, such as the study of the ozone layer, continue to support Paley's argument, reinforcing its
accessibility and relevance. Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds Other counter-
arguments should be also discussed. One can state that the mechanism can require numerous
functions, which were not originally designed. The same can be said about the Universe. However,
the philosopher points out that it is not important whether one is familiar with the functions of a
mechanism or no. The functions can exist, regardless of our knowledge about them. William Paley,
another influential figure, offered the famous analogy of the watchmaker. He contended that just as
a watch's intricate design and functionality imply a watchmaker, the order and purpose evident in the
universe necessitate a divine designer. Paley emphasized that inanimate objects could not achieve
their order and regularity independently, underscoring the need for an intelligent creator. Copyright
© 2024 - IvyPanda® is operated by Ü, a company registered in . Download Policy: Content on the
Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold
/ licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. The most important
thing is the main purpose of the issue. However, “there are few Parts of the Universe, which seem
not to serve some purpose, and whose Removal wou’d not produce a visible Defect and Disorder in
the Whole” (Hume 52). For this reason, one can make a conclusion that the main purpose of a watch
seems to be obvious, but the main purpose of our world is still unknown. The existence of the world
is considered to be an outcome of sets of rules of metallic nature. The philosopher still does not
differentiate between descriptive laws and prescriptive ones. It is also absurd to suggest that a stone
has always been there. So, the only possible answer is that it was created by a powerful maker.
Correspondingly, when speaking about a watch, one can make a conclusion that a watch is made by
somebody, it is made by human being.

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