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THE DESIGN ARGUMENT [PALEY] - Coggle Diagram
THE DESIGN ARGUMENT [PALEY]
A POSTERIORI: Based on sense experience, paleys 3 observations about the world
REGULARITY: Observes particular regularity of orbits, or comets, moons and planets and seasons of the year
COMPLEXITY: - He observes the complexity of the natural world- biological organisms and organs e.g the eye
Complexity of laws of nature
PURPOSE: He observes the machines that we make , inferring they were built for a purpose
the complexity and regularity of a watch implies it has a purpose even if we dont know what that purpose is
The complexity and regularity of the world therefore implies that the world too has a purpose
INDUCTIVE DESIGN ARGUMENT:
Some objects in the world show clear evidence they were designed because they exhibit complexity and regularity from which we can infer they were made for a purpose
The universe apperars to exhibit complexity and regularity, from which we can infer it was made for a purpose
So it is likely the universe was designed
PALEYS ANALOGY:
A watch has complex parts, each with a function and the parts work together for specific purposes
So the watch must have been designed by a watchmaker
Similarly, the universe has parts that function together fir a purpose
So the universe must have been designed by a universe maker
The universe is a far more wonderful deign than a watch, so the designer must be greater than a human designer
The universe designer is God
E.G the eye in all createurs is superbly adapted for vision- it has all the right parts in the rich arrangement ti achieve its purpose- to enable people to see just as a watch has all the right parts to enable a person to tell the time
Fish have fins a gills so they are perfectly adapted to living n water
Equally birds have feathers, bones and wings that are perfectly adapted to flight
Paley found the greatest of Gods works to be the heavenly bodies- the stars, planets and comets and the awe-inspiring regularity of their orbits
HUME'S CRITICISMS
There is no evidence it is the God of Christian Theism- a lesser being could have designed the universe
whenever we find intelligent minds, we find them attached to physical bodies so it could be the designer of the universe is a metaphysical being
design is normally a feauture of teamwork so the designer could have been a team of junior gods on trial and error basis
The existence of evil & imperfection suggests a limited designer
Inconsistent triad
if God is willing to prevent evil but cant he is impotent
If god is able but to willing, he is malevolent
if he's both able and willing why is there evil?
Analogies between the way machines work, and the way the universe works is unsound
The world is more like a floating vegetable that can grow itself without the need of a designer
Evolution
Making an analogy between designers of human machines and designer of the universe is ANTHROPOMORPHISM
we have no experience of universe making and therefore we have no idea of what it takes to design one or what the designer would be like
we cannot assume that we can apply our limited experience of life on this world to the universe as a whole
The universe could have developed into an ordered state simply by chance
WEAKNESSES
Even if the universe was designed, an all-powerful God of Christian theism is a greater cause than is needed to account for that design
could have been produced by team of lesser beings on trial and error basis
Existence of Evil goes against designer being all-loving & all-powerful
Evil occurs on a cosmic scale
difficult to reconcile the sheer amount of evil with the existence of the omnibenevolent god
Humes argument the world is more like a vegetable than machine is backed up by evolution
Evolution shows nature designs. itself without need for God
If there was a watchmaker, its evolution not God
We have no experience of universe making so our ideas about it are anthropomorphic- we lift them from our own limited experience & impose them on the universe
STRENGTHS
The idea the designer is the omnipotent christian God is the simplest explanation
Swinburne argues the argument of an omnipotent God is simpler and therefore the better explanation of the appearance of design
" simplicity is always evidence for the truth"
Paley argued evil may be unavailable in order for God to bring about good
FREE WILL DEFENCE: freedom to choose between highest goods and highest evils means there must be gods and evils within the world
PROCESS THEOLOGY: God is not omnipotent so cannot stop it
SOUL MAKIG THEODICY: without evil we would never learn to love the good
Evolution doesnt destroy the Design argument because its compatible with belief in God
Paley does draw the conclusion that the designer is metaphysical and transcendent
Paleys argument hat 'nature shows intention' becomes stronger when supported by the anthropoid principle
Anthropic= related to humans
Its a simple inductive argument- its based on induction, what we observe and what we observe has the appearance of design