A222 - Exploring Philosophy : Classic Arguments from Design

The first part of the text book looked at arguments supporting the existence of God starting with Aquinas. Aquinas’ second way states that 'something' must have started the series of events that got us to where we are. That is a statement which is easy to accept, however Aquinas says that the 'something' that started this series of events is what “everyone calls God”. Aquinas offers no definition, explanation or proof of what “God” is, so his “second way” could be equally be describing a deity or an event of quantum physics such as the big bang.

So, this week's reading is the 'Classic Argument from Design: Cleanthis & Paley'.

David Hume used the character Cleanthis to argue in favour of the existence of God. Cleanthis' argument equates the world to a complicated man-made machine or object – which is a poor analogy.

Cleanthis talks about the world being a machine with an “accuracy which ravishes into admiration all men”. However the world is far from perfect and Cleanthis has no explanation for inclusion of famines, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, disease and volcanoes within the design of this great precision machine.

Should any man-made machine found to be so poorly designed, I think you would find that nobody would own up to designing it – so perhaps Cleanthis is actually correct, and this explains the absence of god – he’s like a stroppy builder and has simply walked of the job in disgust.

Cleanthis also suggests that the cause of the natural world is the same as the cause of man-made machines ( i.e. designed ), but this would only hold true if the natural world could be replicated multiple times to the exact same plan/design. So this sub-conclusion is false or at least unsubstantiated.

But even if Cleanthis’ shaky main conclusion, that the world was caused to exist through an intelligent designer is accepted, it still  suffers from the same problem as Aquinas in that the final answer, God, is undefined and could equally be an event created through quantum physics  (the big bang) as an intelligent designer, as depicted in the Abrahamic religious view of God.

Paley's argument is a refined version of the argument put forward by Cleanthis. Paley says those structures in nature that have precise organisation and functionality must have had a designer. This begs the question who designed the structures in nature that are less perfect, also many of the structures he referenced as complex in the late 1700s can now be explained through evolution, reducing the need for his designer.

The next chapter is on the modern Intelligent Design 'theories' - I can't wait.

Intelligent Design seems to be a bit of a rear guard action for 'Creationism', as Christians who realise that the 'explanations' given in the bible are gradually unraveling and being proven to be nonsense, for example the cartoon below.......

Source: http://unfollowingjesus.com/

Go on..... have a look.....its an interesting website !!!!