The Teleological Argument
The Teleological Argument
By Zenny Saheel
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy which studies the nature of “being”. The search for the existence of God has been questioned many a time and astounded many philosophers and scientists alike. By looking at certain arguments for the existence of God we are not only attempting to see if God exists but what God is like. Omniscient (All seeing), omnipresent (Present everywhere), omnipotent (All powerful), Benevolent (Good) and Eternal (Always Existed) are some of the words used to define God. By using these definitions philosophers have tried to reveal the existence of God through a judicious argument. Nevertheless there are criticisms of these arguments which are of equal worth when trying to determine the truth.
If we observe the universe we can is has order, purpose and complexity. By observing the universe and everything in it we can see that it is incredibly complex. The existence of such intricate designs points to a designer. Due to the universes’ complexity many would argue that it cannot simply exist as it is by mere chance and that there is regularity and design in the world that illustrate this. For example the sun sets in the west and rises in the west – this cannot be random it was designed to do this. The Teleological Argument or Argument from Design points to God as a purposeful creator and that all of life is created by God for a definite function and goal. In fact the word ‘Telos’ is derived from the Greeks and means ‘purpose’. This is the heart of the Teleological Argument and there are various examples to demonstrate that there is a designer (God). The Bucket Orchid and the Bee point to an intelligent designer – this orchid has a very interesting pollination method which involves attracting a bee by making nectar specific to that bee. The bee would fall into the sticky pool of nectar and to escape must pass through another passage which when the bee squeezes through the entrance it will be
By Zenny Saheel
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy which studies the nature of “being”. The search for the existence of God has been questioned many a time and astounded many philosophers and scientists alike. By looking at certain arguments for the existence of God we are not only attempting to see if God exists but what God is like. Omniscient (All seeing), omnipresent (Present everywhere), omnipotent (All powerful), Benevolent (Good) and Eternal (Always Existed) are some of the words used to define God. By using these definitions philosophers have tried to reveal the existence of God through a judicious argument. Nevertheless there are criticisms of these arguments which are of equal worth when trying to determine the truth.
If we observe the universe we can is has order, purpose and complexity. By observing the universe and everything in it we can see that it is incredibly complex. The existence of such intricate designs points to a designer. Due to the universes’ complexity many would argue that it cannot simply exist as it is by mere chance and that there is regularity and design in the world that illustrate this. For example the sun sets in the west and rises in the west – this cannot be random it was designed to do this. The Teleological Argument or Argument from Design points to God as a purposeful creator and that all of life is created by God for a definite function and goal. In fact the word ‘Telos’ is derived from the Greeks and means ‘purpose’. This is the heart of the Teleological Argument and there are various examples to demonstrate that there is a designer (God). The Bucket Orchid and the Bee point to an intelligent designer – this orchid has a very interesting pollination method which involves attracting a bee by making nectar specific to that bee. The bee would fall into the sticky pool of nectar and to escape must pass through another passage which when the bee squeezes through the entrance it will be