There is evidence of design in the universe - discuss.

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There is evidence of design in the universe – discuss.

In this essay, I going to be looking at the arguments of the great philosophers over the ages, and to try and come to a conclusion to the question ‘is there evidence of design in the universe?’

The basic argument that brings this question into light is the inductive teleological argument. This is comparing the universe to a human designed object, normally a watch. It says that if a person was to find a watch on the floor, he would not believe that the watch had come together by chance, it had been designed, and created the way it is for a purpose, in the same way, the universe is created for a purpose.

St Thomas Aquinas puts forward the argument that everything in the universe follows set laws of science, for example gravity brings rain to the ground which is moved away as a gas.  He argues that these laws bring a good end to all unconscious matter therefore there must be a creator in the universe who developed and controls this law and order.  

In contrast to this, the laws sometimes do not work, due to the fact that rain sometimes brings landslides or floods, which cause death and destruction.  If God had control over these laws, this natural evil would not occur.

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William Paley was the man who first outlined the Analogical teleological argument.  He compares the universe to a watch, saying that the intricate design and complex working of both the watch and the universe must mean that both have a designer.  

Although this is a good point, is it fair to compare something as small as a watch, to something as complex and large as the universe.  Also, we know the ways that a watch work.  With the universe, we are unsure as to its attributes, we are not even sure if it is still growing or ...

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