Outline the Design Argument for the Existence of God

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Outline the Design Argument for the Existence of God

The design argument, or Teleological argument works on the theory that design, order, and regularity in the world is apparent evidence for the existence of God. Teleological comes from the Greek word Teleos meaning design, or order. It is a Posterioriargument, and dates back to the time of Plato, and flourished largely throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, while the descriptive sciences, Zoology, botany, anatomy, astronomy, were being developed.  The descriptive sciences allowed teleologists to support their cases with many different examples in the world that might prove the existence of God.

Basically, the argument is that as the world has evidence for design and order, within the trees, animals and other features of the world, and there are many features of life that are exceedingly complex, so there must have been someone or something to design it. The only explanation for this is God. All things that function have a specific purpose, so the argument questions why they do this, and who designed them to do so.

The teleological argument can be divided into two equally valid parts. Design qua regularity, and design qua purpose. Design qua regularity, according to “Philosophy of Religion” looks at:

“Design in relation to the order and regularity in the universe.” The argument centres around the fact that the order in the universe, and the way everything works naturally, for example rotation of planets, is evidence for a divine designer.

Design qua purpose, again according to “Philosophy of religion” looks at:

“…the evidence of design in relation to the ways in which the parts of the universe appear to fit together for some purpose.” It focuses on everything being built for a reason, and every individual thing being created with a purpose. These complex parts of the world suggest a designer.

        There are several different forms of teleological arguments, and many different supporters and critics. Possibly the most important and impacting argument for the existence of God ever, is William Paley’s analogy of the watch. In 1802, he published “Natural theology, or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity, Collected from the Appearances of Nature” His argument is found in Hick’s book “Arguments for the Existence of God” The argument is:

“In crossing a heath, suppose I pitch my foot against a rock, and were asked how it came to be there. I might possibly answer that for anything I knew to the contrary, the rock had lain there forever, nor would it be easy to prove this wrong. But suppose I had found a watch there, and had been asked how it came to be there. I should hardly think of my previous answer, that for anything I knew to the contrary it had been there forever, but why not this answer for the watch as for the stone? Why is it not admissible in the second case as in the first? For this reason and no other; upon inspecting a watch, we perceive that it’s several parts are framed and put together for a purpose, eg to to produce motion, and that motion produce the time, and that if the parts had been differently shaped, or positioned differently, or placed in any other manner than that which they are placed, either no motion at all would’ve been carried on in the machine, or none which would have answered the use now served by it.”

        This means that as we know a watch has a designer, then surely an intricate creation such as the universe should also have a designer, as it is so complex, yet ordered. Even though the world is far from perfect, we can still see evidence for design all around us in nature. Therefore, this argument can be applied to the world. Paley says that every manifestation of design within the watch also exists within nature. Paley states that as birds have wings to fly, fish have gills to breathe under water, and so many other aspects of nature are suited to their environment, this is evidence for design of some form. This argument was and still is possibly the most influential and important teleological argument of them all, and an example of design qua purpose.

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        St Thomas Aquinas argued for the existence of God using design qua regularity. He identified that natural bodies act in a regular fashion to accomplish their end, so this proves the existence of a designer, or divine being. He says that things do what they do by design, not luck. HE used the analogy of the archer and the arrow, to explain that anything lacking knowledge cannot move towards an end, unless directed by an intelligent and knowledgeable being, as the arrow is directed by the archer. Aquinas regarded the order evident in the world as proof of design. The ...

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