Recent versions of the Design Argument

Recent versions of the Design Argument

Describe the teleological argument for the existence of

God. 4KU

An argument for the existence of God or a creator based on perceived evidence of order, purpose, design, or direction, or some combination of these, in nature

Reasoning of Aquinas – 5th Way Reasoning of Paley Subsequent developments – modern versions Use of analogies. Watch / eye etc.

What evidence from nature is used to support this argument? 4KU

• The changing seasons • The lifestyle of animals and birds • The intricate organisms of the

human body and how it all fits and works together

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The Goldilocks Theory• Just as Goldilocks found the porridge that

was just right, the Earth seems to be just right for living creatures. The Earth seems to be the perfect distance from the sun for lots of water.

• Venus is too close to the sun, and too hot for flowing water on its surface. In fact, it is so hot that, like a sauna, all the water has been evaporated into the atmosphere, and Venus has a thick and heavy atmosphere.

• Mars is too far from the sun, and too cold for flowing water on its surface. Mars also has no continental drift, so particles of the atmosphere which become trapped within the ground stay trapped within the ground. Thus over time the atmosphere of Mars has become thin, and all the water is frozen into the ground.

• The temperature of Earth is just right for flowing water on the surface, and for the rock which allows for continental drift. With continental drift, particles of the atmosphere which become trapped within the ground are brought back to the atmosphere through eruptions of volcanoes.

• These conditions cause refreshment of the planet's atmosphere. A medium sized atmosphere helps keep temperatures just right for flowing water (through the greenhouse effect). These conditions are just right for abundant life.

Answer the question below

• How does the Goldilocks theory support the idea of intelligent design?

• Discuss this in your groups and write a suitable answer

Recent contributors

• F R Tennant– The Anthropic Principle– The Aesthetic Principle

• Richard Swinburne– The argument from Probability

Anthropic Principle

• Developed by F R Tennant in his book Philosophical Theology (1930).

• Argument claims that the universe has been designed for the ultimate purpose of producing intelligent life.

• This argument takes the view that “random chance” is not a sufficient or realistic explanation for the way the universe is fine tuned to produce human life.

• The Big Bang– The strength of the Big Bang was

just enough to create the conditions for the galaxies to form and life on earth to develop. Had the strength of the Big Bang been slightly bigger or slightly weaker, then the galaxies would not have been formed and the earth would not have developed. Had there been even a slight variance in the basic elements emerging from the Big Bang we would not be here today.

Anthropic Principle

• How do you feel about the Anthropic Principle at this point?

• Do you agree or disagree with the idea that because certain conditions had to be present for human life to develop, that this could only occur if it had been planned?

Anthropic Principle

• Tennant believed that there were three types of natural evidence in the world that suggested the existence of a designer God:

– The fact that the world can be analysed in a rational way (in other words, intelligent being can detect the workings of an intelligent mind).

– The way in which the inorganic world has provided the basic necessities required to sustain life (e.g. trees producing oxygen).

– The progress of evolution towards the emergence of intelligent human life (evolution is seen as God’s way of creating intelligent human life).

Anthropic Principle

Summary

• Tennant argued that it would be impossible to imagine a chaotic universe where no rules or laws applied.

• However, the universe is not chaotic.

• The evidence suggests that the universe is a result of careful design, planned in such a way that would allow for the evolutionary process to occur and create an environment in which intelligent life could exist.

• According to Tennant, human life is the

culmination of God’s plan.

Anthropic Principle

Who else might be able to contribute to this discussion?

• Polkinghorne

– Argued that the unlikelihood of human life being the result of blind chance gives no rise to “considerations which theism provides a persuasive answer”.

– What do you think this means?

– He is not saying that the way in which the universe has produced human life proves that there is a designer God but he is saying that this would be a rational and credible conclusion to draw.

– This is very similar to Swinburne’s argument from probability which we will deal with shortly.

Aesthetic Argument• An argument also develop by F R Tennant to prove the

existence of God.

• The aesthetic argument was developed in response to the challenge that evolutionary theory presented to Christian ideas about creation.

• Evolutionary theory argued that the creatures in the world were as they were, not because they had been designed that way, but because, through natural selection, they had adapted to the demands of their environment.

• Tennant’s aesthetic argument claimed that humans possess an ability t appreciate the beauty of their surroundings – for example, they can enjoy art, music, literature and culture.

• This appreciation of beauty – the ‘aesthetic sense’ of humans – is not necessary for the survival or development of human life and so cannot be a result of natural selection.

• The aesthetic sense of humans therefore provides evidence of a divine creator.

Aesthetic Argument

Aesthetic Argument

How do you feel about the Aesthetic Argument at this point?

Anthropic Principle and the Aesthetic Argument

In pairs make a note of any possible criticisms you can make of

Tennant’s arguments.

Argument from Probability

• Developed by Richard Swinburne in his book The Existence of God (1979).

• Put forwards a version of the design argument that is based on probability

• Observed that the order in the universe and the way that it provides the conditions necessary for

life and concludes that an intelligent designer

is the best, or most probable, explanation that we have.

Key Points of Swinburne’s argument:

• There is universal orderliness in the universe. All the bodies in the universe conform to the same, simple scientific laws.

• The existence of this orderliness and uniform natural laws has provided the conditions necessary for human life to develop.

– Furthermore, this is a providential world; one which contains everything necessary for human survival,

and one in which humans can meaningfully

contribute to its development and maintenance,

within the limitations of its naturals laws

Argument from Probability

Key Points of Swinburne’s argument continued…:

• The universe could just as easily have been chaotic. The fact that it is not suggests that it was designed for the purpose of human life to develop – it did not just occur by random chance.– An intelligently designed universe cannot be proved,

but it is more probable that the natural laws were designed than that they happened by chance.

• Since there is design, God is the simplest explanation for the universe. – Belief in God makes better sense of all the evidence that we have available than any other alternative.

Whilst a purposeful designer cannot be

proved to exist, it is more plausible and satisfactory

explanation than not.

Argument from Probability

In pairs discuss what, if anything is wrong with Swinburne’s argument.

Argument from Probability

Explain how evidence from nature might be used to challenge the

Teleological Argument 6KU

• Nature is chaotic • Evolution • The existence of suffering and evil • The role of chance in nature • The views of notable individuals • The assumption of order in nature being

imposed by cultural influences. •