Teleological Argument

Introduction to PhilosophyJason M. Chang

Lecture Outline

1. Teleological argumentA. BackgroundB. Paley’s argument

2. ObjectionsA. Hume’s objectionB. Darwin’s theory

3. The contemporary debate: three questions

Teleological Argument

Background

• What a teleological argument is

• Major features

• Definition of telos (τέλος)

• Proponents

• William Paley (1743-1805)

William Paley 1743-1805

Teleological Argument

Paley’s argument

• Stone vs. watch

• Reason for the different responses

o Many parts working together for a purpose

o Indispensable parts

Teleological Argument

Paley’s argument

• Objects in nature

o Purposefulness

o Example – the eye

Teleological Argument

“Take the human eye, for example. It is made of parts that work together in intricate, complicated ways. The eye has an opening through which light enters, and there is a mechanism that automatically makes the opening larger or smaller depending on the amount of light available. The light then passes through a lens that focuses it on a sensitive surface, which in turn translates the patterns into signals that can be transmitted to the brain through the optic nerve. If any detail is changed, the whole thing stops working. Imagine that there was no hole in the front of the eyeball, or no lens, or no nerve connecting it to the brain – then everything else would be pointless.”

-James Rachels on the human eye

Teleological Argument

“Every manifestation of design, which existed in the watch, exists in the works of nature; with the difference, on the side of nature, of being greater or more, and that in a degree which exceeds all computation.”

Teleological Argument

-Many parts working together for purpose

-Indispensable parts

“Like effects have like causes”

-Many parts working together for purpose

-Indispensable parts

Teleological Argument

Paley’s argument

(P1) We rightfully conclude that objects such as watches are made by intelligent designers because they have parts that work together to serve a purpose.

 (P2) We have the same evidence that the parts of nature

were made by an intelligent designer: the plants, animals, organs, etc. of the natural world are also composed of parts that work together to serve a purpose.

 Therefore, (C) We are entitled to conclude that the natural world was

made by an intelligent designer.

Objections

Hume’s Objection

Background

• David Hume (1711-1776)

o Biography

o Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779)

David Hume (1711-1776)

Hume’s ObjectionEFFECT

CAUSE

Hume’s Objection

How do I know that my headache this morning was caused by drinking?

Development of belief – Alcohol can cause headaches

Continuous observation

Hume’s Objection

How do I know that my headache was caused by drinking?

Me this morning

Background belief – alcohol can cause headaches

The point: Deriving a cause from an effect requires background knowledge

Hume’s Objection

How do we know the watch was created by a watchmaker?

Background belief – watchmakers make watches

Hume’s ObjectionEFFECT

CAUSE

No background knowledge of how universes are created

?

Hume’s Objection

“And will any man tell me with a serious [face], that an orderly universe must arise from some [Intelligence] because we have experience of it? To ascertain this reasoning, it were requisite that we had experience of the origin of worlds…”

Despite Hume’s objections, the question still arises…

How do we get such biological complexity and purposefulness in the natural world?

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

Background

• Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

o Biography

• Label “evolution” misleading

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Three important ideas in Darwin’s theory

Darwin’s Theory

Heritability of traits

• Each individual inherits characteristics of its parents

• An organisms decedents tend to resemble it

Darwin’s Theory

Variation

• There are variations between members of species

• These variations are due to genetic mutation

Variations among finches

Darwin’s Theory

Due to mutation, offspring have thicker beaks and darker feathers

Darwin’s Theory

Natural selection

• Those that possess the traits conducive to survival in a particular environment survive and reproduce

• Those that do not possess these traits die off

Darwin’s Theory

Environment in which primary food source is nuts

Imagine this process

occurring for millions upon

millions of years

Darwin’s Theory

• Imagine this process occurring for millions upon millions of years

• It makes sense that the finches today have the “perfectly designed” attributes to survive

• What appears to be “intelligent design” can be explained by millions of years of natural selection

The contemporary debate:

Three questions

The contemporary debate

• Can God and evolution co-exist?

ABSOLUTELY

The contemporary debate

• Can Darwin’s theory explain all biological systems?

“irreducible complexity”

Michael Behe’s Darwin’s Black Box (1996)

The contemporary debate

• What content should be included in a high school science class?

VS