2. I disagree that we are
2. I disagree that we are
The Design Argument can be split into two sides: design qua purpose and design qua regularity. The key idea of design qua purpose comes from William Paley. He used analogy as the basis for his argument, noting how the complex design of a watch allows all the parts to work together perfectly to achieve its purpose. He then noted the complexity, order and purpose of the universe, stating that "every manifestation on design, which existed in the watch, exists in the works of nature." Therefore if a watch's intricacy stands as evidence that it has been designed, by analogy the universe must also have a designer and, as the designer is required to be supremely powerful, the designer must be God.…
‘Why is there something rather than nothing?’ Assess whether the existence of the universe requires God as a first cause?…
All expect the contingency theory, another argument by Thomas Aquinas. This argument states that everything in our universe is contingent (does not have to necessarily exist) so if everything was contingent then at some time there would have been nothing and therefore there would be nothing, but there clearly is, so therefore there must be something which isn’t contingent which everything else depends on, a necessary being, this is God.…
The cosmological argument seeks to prove the existence of God on the basis that the universe has not always been in existence and so for it to be created, an external cause was necessary; this outside agent is viewed as God. It creates à posteriori knowledge which provides inductive explanations and makes conclusions on ideas based on actual experiences. It is a non-propositional argument so it cannot be proven but can be argued by offering experience as support.…
The design argument is concerned to find the meaning or purpose in this world; they seek to move from facts about the world to God. Like the cosmological argument, the design argument draws back to arguments put forward by Socrates and Plato who said that ‘the human body, with all its principles and elements must owe its origin…of Zeus’. The design argument considers a number of issues for example; why is the universe the way that it is? As expected, it has undergone many different transformations that have transformed it into a theistic argument (on that seeks to prove the existence of the God of classical theism). It suggests that certain aspects in the universe are…
In The Cosmological Argument Premise 2 explains that everything cannot be a dependent living thing. William Rowe explains why the Principle of Sufficient reason is true, then premise 2 is also true. Rowe suggests that there has never been a self-existing living thing, but only an infinite series of dependent living things. In this case, every living thing has an explanation, because it is explained if a living thing that came before it then that caused its existence.…
I do not find any of the traditional proofs for God’s existence persuasive, and I will go over each argument one at a time to explain why I do not find them persuasive, starting with Anselm’s ontological argument, then Aquinas’ cosmological argument, and finally Paley’s teleological argument. First, Anselm’s ontological argument is not persuasive because the argument can be used to prove things that do not exist. The faulty logic is shown in Gaunilo’s Lost Island Objection because instead of putting God as the thing to prove, Guanilo puts an island, and the logic still holds up. However, the argument does not hold up and would need more evidence or logical backing for why God works and the island does not. If someone says one is true, but the…
The argument for design has evolved over time as both theologians and philosophers have needed to adjust their arguments supporting this theory to address an ever changing landscape of scientific, biological and cosmological discovery. Despite this the essence of the argument remains intact those in support of the theory would argue that our existence on this earth and in this universe is far too complex a chain of events to have happened by chance. That in fact the existence of the universe is itself the result of a set of such improbable circumstances that there has to be intelligence behind its creation an architect, a creator or in religious terms a God (Chappell, 2011, p. 55). The versions of this argument are in my opinion interesting…
The most common and influential argument’s for the existence of God are design arguments. In the last fifty years design arguments have received the most attention philosophically. Design arguments are both empirical and inductive arguments. Design arguments identify properties of objects in nature and argue that the only way that they could have occurred or the best explanation for them is that there is some intelligent/higher being that created or conceived the object. William Paley was a Christian apologist in the eighteenth century who was known for his popular version of the teleological argument (“watchmaker analogy”). Paley stressed the idea that the world’s complexity and design is not based off luck or chance, but rather designed by…
One of the most fascinating arguments for the existence of an all-perfect God is the ontological argument. While there are several different versions of the argument, all purport to show that it is self-contradictory to deny that there exists a greatest possible being. Thus, on this general line of argument, it is a necessary truth that such a being exists; and this being is the God of traditional Western theism. This article explains and evaluates classic and contemporary versions of the ontological argument.…
The existence of God is one of the greatly talked about philosophical topics throughout history. There have been many arguments proposed in order to answer the question. One argument is the ontological argument. The first person to propose the ontological argument is St. Anselm in the eleventh century. St. Anselm tries to prove the existence God from the idea of a being that which no greater being can be imagined. St. Anselm contemplated that, if such a being did not exist, then a more superior being can be thought of to…
There are 3 main arguments that each seek to prove the existence of God; the Ontological, Cosmological, and Teleological Arguments. Each is different in its approach, but all arrive at the same conclusion. Ontological Argument argues God’s existence from the assumption of the existence a “Greatest Thing that can ever be conceived.” From there, it argues that in order for something to be “The Greatest Thing ever” it must exist physically (that is outside of the mind). The Cosmological Argument argues that since everything in the universe is contingent (or is dependent on other things for its existence), there must be a first cause that set the universe in motion.…
The ontological, cosmological, and teleological arguments collectively strive to prove one point, the existence of God. Ontological arguments lean on reasoning to prove its point of an a priori being or existence. Cosmological arguments focus on the idea that because there is this vast universe with an infinite amount of galaxies, God or a higher being, must have had a hand in creating the world and universe we live in. Teleological arguments emphasize on the idea that the universe was created solely to carry out the purpose or end result that it was designed for by…
The big bang theory cannot be reconciled with the notion of an intelligent designer. T or F…
The existence of God has been a huge issue for many, many centuries. In H. J. McCloskey's article "On being an Atheist" he said that the cosmological and teleological arguments are false and that we need to forget the idea of God completely because there is no definitive proof. McCloskey's main issue with the idea of God is the presence of evil in the world. ca…