Explain the Teleological Arguments for the Existence of God Essay Example
Explain the Teleological arguments
The word teleological originates from the Greek ‘telos’ meaning end or purpose. It infers the existence of God from a particular aspect or character of the world, namely the presence of order, regularity and purpose, and thus, is most commonly known as the design argument; it postulates the idea of a designer for all that has been designed. As its name suggests, the teleological argument attempts to seek the ultimate end or purpose.
Furthermore, the teleological argument holds the belief that this designer is the primary cause of such existences, and is therefore what Aristotle would believe to be the ‘uncaused cause’, the ‘unmoved mover’. It is never assumed that this initial cause could be God, yet the teleological argument would assume we, as intelligent beings, are able to comprehend such concepts; be it a falsity or not. One would assume human life is purposeful, however to assume this is to believe there is indeed a ‘purposer’ to make this possible; after all purpose is designed through reason. There is a fundamental difference between a designed necessity and an un-designed necessity. One is purely the result of nature and it is therefore a non-rational creation, un-designed; where the other is the work of a creator, made for a purpose and we assume it is completely rational. Nevertheless, one may argue that if we are to believe in God, nothing is coincidental, but predestined by divinity; proving the teleological argument to be logical.
Plato, Paley and Hume all forwarded arguments for design. Firstly, Plato said that mind orders all things; this is shown through the fifth of Aquinas’ five ways. An analogy was made between the universe and a man-made machine; Paley used this through his philosophy of the watch. He claimed that anyone finding a watch for the first time might not understand its functions yet would be able to recognise that it is not a result of chance, but the creation of an intelligent being. The
The word teleological originates from the Greek ‘telos’ meaning end or purpose. It infers the existence of God from a particular aspect or character of the world, namely the presence of order, regularity and purpose, and thus, is most commonly known as the design argument; it postulates the idea of a designer for all that has been designed. As its name suggests, the teleological argument attempts to seek the ultimate end or purpose.
Furthermore, the teleological argument holds the belief that this designer is the primary cause of such existences, and is therefore what Aristotle would believe to be the ‘uncaused cause’, the ‘unmoved mover’. It is never assumed that this initial cause could be God, yet the teleological argument would assume we, as intelligent beings, are able to comprehend such concepts; be it a falsity or not. One would assume human life is purposeful, however to assume this is to believe there is indeed a ‘purposer’ to make this possible; after all purpose is designed through reason. There is a fundamental difference between a designed necessity and an un-designed necessity. One is purely the result of nature and it is therefore a non-rational creation, un-designed; where the other is the work of a creator, made for a purpose and we assume it is completely rational. Nevertheless, one may argue that if we are to believe in God, nothing is coincidental, but predestined by divinity; proving the teleological argument to be logical.
Plato, Paley and Hume all forwarded arguments for design. Firstly, Plato said that mind orders all things; this is shown through the fifth of Aquinas’ five ways. An analogy was made between the universe and a man-made machine; Paley used this through his philosophy of the watch. He claimed that anyone finding a watch for the first time might not understand its functions yet would be able to recognise that it is not a result of chance, but the creation of an intelligent being. The