observation (Teleological)

• Teleological argument means everything has a purpose.
• Design argument is that the world has been designed so this is evidence of a designer, a god
• Aquinas in his fifth way puts forward the teleological argument showing the existence of god. He argues that the world behaves with unusual regularity even though they are not intelligent. this is called 'Beneficial order'. For example, a seed growing into a tree. It must have a guide to tree-forming behaviour.
• Strength of Aquinas fifth way: Aristotle would agree with his idea of a 'final cause'
• Weakness of Aquinas fifth way: He uses an analogy of the arrow and archer; the arrow doesn't have a mind of it's own, but only hits the target when the archer releases it. this is not strong enough since it simplifies the universe to a man-made thing.
• Strength of Aquinas with way: Natural laws are observable, therefore is logical if we can see these examples.
• weakness of Aquinas with way: Dawkins would argue that we only have this biological instinct to survive and reproduce, it doesn't show the existence of god.
• William Paley uses the watch analogy to show the world was designed; If he came across a watch in the dessert he would assume there a designer due to it's complexity. even if he had never seen a watch before, he is forced to assume there was a designer. Therefore because our world is so complex, we must assume there is a designer.
• Strengths of Payleys argument: Locke would agree since it is comforting to religious people giving people a purpose and belief of a designer/god
• Weakness of Payleys argument: Dawkins explains that evolution is the cause of complexity in the world.
• Weakness of Payleys argument: Hume argues we have no experience of world making, but we have seen a watch being made, so we assume there is a designer. Bus stop analogy: We can't expect an effect to be the cause of a change
• Weakness of Payleys argument: Kant argues we are looking through 'rose tinted glasses' and searching for 'coincidences'.
• Strength of Payleys argument: Astrophysics, Issac Newton concluded the world is fine tuned.
• Weakness of Design argument: Mill argues that there are bad things in the world, so if there is a designer, he is no god since he is evil. Questions God's benevolence.
• Tennant argues the aesthetic and anthropic argument. He says beauty is everywhere by not necessary, suggesting a designer created it since it cannot be explained. He argues it was designed specific for humans since we are the only animals who can ask questions and understand beauty.
• Weaknesses of Tennant: Beauty is subjective
• Weaknesses of Tennant: Dawkins argues evolution explains beauty. For example, tiger stripes are for camouflage.
• Weaknesses of Tennant: Anthropocentric argument, it puts humans at the centre of the argument.