Key Words

• KW- a posteriori

  Arguments which depend on sense experience: think of ‘posterior’ – behind/after sense experience. For example, we can only know oak trees grow from acorns by sense experience, watching them and not by logic.
• KW- inductive


  Arguments which use reasoning in which the premises seek to supply strong evidence for (but not absolute proof of) the conclusion. are probabilistic.
• KW- premise

  A proposition that supports, or helps to support, a conclusion. in the design argument one of the premises is his observations of design, which he thinks call for an explanation.
• KW- natural theology

  The view that questions about God’s existence, nature, and attributes can be answered without referring to scripture or to any other form of special revelation, by using reason, science, history, and observation.
• KW- analogy


  A comparison between one thing and another, for explanation, clarification, or, in the case of an argument, as a form of inference.
• KW- inference


  A conclusion reached through evidence and reasoning. This involves steps in reasoning, moving from premises to conclusions.
• KW- teleological


  Relating to design or purpose, especially in nature.
• KW- omnipotent

  All-powerful. an attribute of God.
• KW- omnibenevolent


  All-loving or all-good. an attribute of God.
• KW- anthropomorphism

  Attributing human characteristics, form, or ideas to beings other than humans, particularly to gods and animals.
• KW- anthropic principle

  ‘Anthropic’ means related to humans. The Anthropic Principle is that humans exist in this Universe, and therefore the Universe exists in a way that it allows humans to come into existence.
• KW- synthetic


  Statements / propositions whose truth or falsity are determined by sense experience, for example, ‘William has a hairy chest’.