1.1 Arguments for the existence
of God
The Teleological/ Design Argument
‘A Creator/ Designer’ and ‘God’ used interchangeably
Teleology - Doctrine of the end Paley’s Watchmaker analogy
Argument that everything was ‘If I stumbled on a stone and
created with an intrinsic asked how it came to be there, it
purpose/ end goal - telos would be difficult to show the
Inductive argument - the answer ‘it has lain there forever’
premises provide probable to be absurd (…) yet this is not
evidence for the existence of a true if the stone were to be a
designer (God) watch’
Universe as complex and well Just as the complexity of a
balanced - A Posteriori watch requires a watchmaker,
The universe’s balance the complexity of the universe
suggests that it was requires a universe maker
designed - consciously and (God)
deliberately Paley doesn’t suggest that God
Argument from Purpose — is a perfect creator, or had
Things that are unintelligent intentions of perfection
cannot have purpose if they are The role of analogy - draws
not guided by an intelligent comparisons between
being complex and more simple
Nature is unintelligent but ideas to effectively explain
has a purpose so must be them (use of the physical to
guided by a conscious being explain the metaphysical)
Argument from Regularity — Other analogies for the
The regularity of the universe is teleological argument:
evidence of a designer Aquinas — The archer
the Earth is perfectly analogy — A moving arrow
positioned, ‘designed’ for life suggests an archer - Just
1.1 Arguments for the existence of God 1
, - this must’ve been as the archer gives direction
deliberate and purpose to the arrow,
God similarly gives
The Anthropic principle direction and purpose to all
elements of the universe -
Proposed by F.R. Tennant Everything in nature has a
Building on Swinburne’s telos, a purpose, which was
argument assigned by a higher
The universe appears to be intelligence
suited to bringing about and The complexity of the
catering to (human) life human body/ structure of
Accepts the theory of evolution the eye suggests a designer,
and scientific discovery - similar to the complexity of
believes that these things came the universe
about to aid life The complexity of machines
‘Fine-tuning’ argument - the suggests an engineer who
universe is fine-tuned to human designed and created them,
life similar to the complexity of
the universe which
Tennant is ‘suspicious’ of the suggests a designer
convenience of the Goldilocks
zone, evolution etc — these Swinburne’s Design
things are too good to be a argument
coincidence!
‘The universe might so naturally
Tennant’s Strong anthropic have been chaotic, but it is not, it
principle: is very orderly’
The universe designed solely to Every atom is governed by the
bring about human life same scientific laws,
Big bang was precisely everywhere in the universe
calculated so that Earth would Focus on Order and Regularity -
be formed regularity as having a fixed
All aspects of Earth are too principle
perfectly suited to not have Argues that the regularity of
been designed to cater to the universe is too perfect
humanity to have occurred by chance
1.1 Arguments for the existence of God 2
, Ozone layer protects us from Order & Regularity of the
harmful rays, moon allowed universe give probable
the evolution of sea evidence of the existence of
creatures, Jupiter and Saturn God
protect earth from asteroid A step back from Paley -
impact Swinburne focusing on how the
Criticising the Strong anthropic universe works together and the
principle: laws of nature
Anthropocentric - egotistical and Cumulative - Swinburne
ignorant to the possibility of collects different arguments
other life forms to reach a conclusion
Arguably repeats the old Swinburne’s types of regularity:
mistakes of outdated 1. Co-Presence - things turn up
religious views that ignored together in orderly patterns
scientific advancement
2. Succession - Orderly processes
Very simplistic operate the same way every
Too much chaos for the entire time
universe to have been e.g. the laws of
developed by the big bang thermodynamics
Why would a vast and Swinburne argues that these
supposedly empty need to be forms of regularity increase the
created just for humanity? probability of the existence of a
We are how we are because of creator/ the universe having
the laws of nature, they aren’t been designed
how they are to cater to us
Tennant’s argument is a
Comparing Paley and
backwards argument
Swinburne:
Similarities:
Rebuke - Weak anthropic Both believe in the existence of
principle a creator/ designer
Biophilic, not anthropocentric Both argue that the universe
universe must have a guiding hand -
The universe was designed to not completely natural
produce life, not just humans
1.1 Arguments for the existence of God 3
of God
The Teleological/ Design Argument
‘A Creator/ Designer’ and ‘God’ used interchangeably
Teleology - Doctrine of the end Paley’s Watchmaker analogy
Argument that everything was ‘If I stumbled on a stone and
created with an intrinsic asked how it came to be there, it
purpose/ end goal - telos would be difficult to show the
Inductive argument - the answer ‘it has lain there forever’
premises provide probable to be absurd (…) yet this is not
evidence for the existence of a true if the stone were to be a
designer (God) watch’
Universe as complex and well Just as the complexity of a
balanced - A Posteriori watch requires a watchmaker,
The universe’s balance the complexity of the universe
suggests that it was requires a universe maker
designed - consciously and (God)
deliberately Paley doesn’t suggest that God
Argument from Purpose — is a perfect creator, or had
Things that are unintelligent intentions of perfection
cannot have purpose if they are The role of analogy - draws
not guided by an intelligent comparisons between
being complex and more simple
Nature is unintelligent but ideas to effectively explain
has a purpose so must be them (use of the physical to
guided by a conscious being explain the metaphysical)
Argument from Regularity — Other analogies for the
The regularity of the universe is teleological argument:
evidence of a designer Aquinas — The archer
the Earth is perfectly analogy — A moving arrow
positioned, ‘designed’ for life suggests an archer - Just
1.1 Arguments for the existence of God 1
, - this must’ve been as the archer gives direction
deliberate and purpose to the arrow,
God similarly gives
The Anthropic principle direction and purpose to all
elements of the universe -
Proposed by F.R. Tennant Everything in nature has a
Building on Swinburne’s telos, a purpose, which was
argument assigned by a higher
The universe appears to be intelligence
suited to bringing about and The complexity of the
catering to (human) life human body/ structure of
Accepts the theory of evolution the eye suggests a designer,
and scientific discovery - similar to the complexity of
believes that these things came the universe
about to aid life The complexity of machines
‘Fine-tuning’ argument - the suggests an engineer who
universe is fine-tuned to human designed and created them,
life similar to the complexity of
the universe which
Tennant is ‘suspicious’ of the suggests a designer
convenience of the Goldilocks
zone, evolution etc — these Swinburne’s Design
things are too good to be a argument
coincidence!
‘The universe might so naturally
Tennant’s Strong anthropic have been chaotic, but it is not, it
principle: is very orderly’
The universe designed solely to Every atom is governed by the
bring about human life same scientific laws,
Big bang was precisely everywhere in the universe
calculated so that Earth would Focus on Order and Regularity -
be formed regularity as having a fixed
All aspects of Earth are too principle
perfectly suited to not have Argues that the regularity of
been designed to cater to the universe is too perfect
humanity to have occurred by chance
1.1 Arguments for the existence of God 2
, Ozone layer protects us from Order & Regularity of the
harmful rays, moon allowed universe give probable
the evolution of sea evidence of the existence of
creatures, Jupiter and Saturn God
protect earth from asteroid A step back from Paley -
impact Swinburne focusing on how the
Criticising the Strong anthropic universe works together and the
principle: laws of nature
Anthropocentric - egotistical and Cumulative - Swinburne
ignorant to the possibility of collects different arguments
other life forms to reach a conclusion
Arguably repeats the old Swinburne’s types of regularity:
mistakes of outdated 1. Co-Presence - things turn up
religious views that ignored together in orderly patterns
scientific advancement
2. Succession - Orderly processes
Very simplistic operate the same way every
Too much chaos for the entire time
universe to have been e.g. the laws of
developed by the big bang thermodynamics
Why would a vast and Swinburne argues that these
supposedly empty need to be forms of regularity increase the
created just for humanity? probability of the existence of a
We are how we are because of creator/ the universe having
the laws of nature, they aren’t been designed
how they are to cater to us
Tennant’s argument is a
Comparing Paley and
backwards argument
Swinburne:
Similarities:
Rebuke - Weak anthropic Both believe in the existence of
principle a creator/ designer
Biophilic, not anthropocentric Both argue that the universe
universe must have a guiding hand -
The universe was designed to not completely natural
produce life, not just humans
1.1 Arguments for the existence of God 3
