Existence of God - Essay Plans

• Examine Paley's Design Argument A01

  - watch analogy / complexity v simplicity

  - qua purpose

  - qua regularity

  - inductive a posteriori
• Examine Hume's Criticisms of the Design Argument A01

  - God of classical theism

  - polytheism (link to ship analogy)

  - epicurean hypotheses (monkey and typewriters)

  - we did not witness the creation of the universe
• Examine both Hume and Russell's criticisms of Aquinas' Third Way A01

  - Russell says way 3 commits the fallacy of composition

  - Hume argues that none of us witnessed the start of creation

  - Russell: the universe exists as an unexplainable brute fact. But if the universe is unexplainable it seems very odd that science works on the opposite principle

  - Hume: the simplest explanation is that matter itself is the necessary cause (occams razor)
• Examine Anselm's Ontological Argument A01

  - predicate and subject: god exists

  - god is that than which nothing greater can be conceived: link to painter

  - deductive

  - Anselm's response to gaunilo: perfect island
• Examine Aquinas' Third Way A01

  - based upon observation: inductive a posteriori

  - rejection of infinite regress

  - uses reductio ad absurdum

  - necessary being
• There are few strengths to Aquinas' Third Way'. Evaluate this claim A02

  - strength: a posteriori / shared observations

  - weakness: we all have a different interpretation

  - strength: reductio ad absurdum

  - weakness: Russell's response to reductio ad absurdum

  - strength: science supports rejection of infinite regress

  - weakness: steady state theory supports idea of infinity
• There are few strengths to Anselm's Ontological Argument'. Evaluate this claim A02

  - strength: deductive a priori

  - weakness: a priori premises are off. Kant shows that Anselm's argument cannot be proved through logic

  - strength: better to exist in mind and reality

  - weakness: Gaunilo: perfect island.

  - strength: god exists is used as an analytical statement

  - weakness: Kant says that saying God exists doesn't mean he exists necessarily. Says it is a synthetic argument
• There are few strengths to Paley's Design Argument'. Evaluate this claim A02

  - strength: a posteriori / shared observation

  - weakness: didn't witness the building of creation

  - strength: like effects have like causes

  - weakness: analogy of world is more like a carrot not a machine

  - strength: in all probability God created the universe

  - weakness: why does it have to be god? God of classical theism is not all loving. Why not polytheism?
• Examine Kant's criticisms of the Ontological argument A01

  - existence is not a predicate. We add nothing to the concept of God. The only way we know God exists is by sense experience not logic

  - undermines the conclusion that God exists necessarily. Even though he is defined as that it doesn't mean he exists
• Examine how reason is able to support faith through the existence of God A01

  - Anselm: to have an active love for God (faith) means seeking a deeper knowledge (reason)

  - Aquinas: big bang theory supports the start of the universe. Aquinas rejected infinite regress so he would most likely agree with this

  - Paley: qua regularity. Newton's laws of motion and gravity

  - Aquinas: uncaused necessary being is the reason for the universe's existence
• Reason does not support faith'. A02