The Design Argument is quite similar to The Cosmological Argument as
it attempts to infer the existence of God, but instead of from the
existence of the cosmos it is from a particular aspect or character of
the world, namely the presence of order, regularity and purpose.
Order, regularity and purpose are seen as marks of design, and the
argument concludes that God must be the source of that design.
There are various types of Design Arguments, with philosophers giving
them different names but the two most well known are The Argument from
Design and The Argument to Design. Both arguments are inductive, a
posteriori and synthetic. The Argument from Design is the most popular
form, involving analogy. In philosophical terms it can be expressed
as:
P1. Objects in nature are similar to man-made machines.
P2. Man-made machines are the result of intelligent design.
P3. Similar effects will have similar causes
C. Objects in nature are the result of something similar to
intelligent design.
Supporters of the argument included such philosophers as St Thomas
Aquinas and William Paley. Aquinas featured the argument as the fifth
of his five ways. The heart of the argument is that non-intelligent
material things produce beneficial order, and therefore require an
intelligent being to bring this about, i.e. God
William Paley went on to use the analogy of a watch, he asked us to
suppose that we are crossing a heath and come across a watch. He
argued that even if you had never seen a watch before, you would know
that the instrument did not happen by chance, but must be the result
of the work of an intelligent mind. He went on to say that the watch
demanded a watch maker and that likewise, the order in the universe
demands a designer. Paley is often depicted as someone who was trying
to prove God to the unbeliever however he implies that he is more
concerned with making things clearer to those who believe in God
already.
The Argument to Design, also referred to as The Anthropic Argument
Paley was talking about the universe, with the watch as a metaphor. The universe is obviously much more complex than a watch and they both serve
The ability to compare the universe to a watch allows for familiarity, which is what I believe draws agreement and acknowledgement of his argument. It is thought that, as humans, we have at least one person in existence that is aware of how to put together a properly functioning watch, and we know that a watch needs to be put together intelligently. Given Paley’s reasoning he presents that the world is also intricately made which creates a parallel between a watch in the universe, giving individuals a sense of familiarity. As such, it naturally follows that there ought to be a universe maker, or God, who appears to be the only one capable of doing such a thing. Primarily, my concern is that the intelligent maker must be God; Paley merely assumes that the reader agrees and gives no further insight on why the creator must be God. Furthermore, he assumes the universe works without proof or any real knowledge which seems a rather fatal flaw. It is irresponsible to believe that the universe works the way we assume to fulfill our desire to explain the existence of God, similar to Mackie’s objection to the cosmological argument (Mackie 171). I do not believe Paley’s argument survives Hume’s objection due to the necessity of experience. He merely uses analogy to justify his claim; the only difference is that he has experience with a watch and none in regards to the universe. Again, he is
Harold’s watch is a central part of his life as it times and maintains his uptight lifestyle. The opening scene is a close-up of his watch, beeping and glowing on the bedside table. The narrator also says, “this is a story about a man named Harold Crick... and his wristwatch.” The viewer immediately becomes aware of the importance of Harold's wristwatch and is forewarned of its significance in the story and in his life. Furthermore, the lack of sound and music in this scene, other than the beeping from his wristwatch, highlights that this is the most important object in the room, as well as in his life.
Now he is known to be the creator of some of the most innovative touchscreen ipods, tablets, and phones. Self-intuition is another aspect that is still evident in modern society. Each and every day, we make new discoveries in the world of science. These new findings were not discovered on page 45 of an ancient philosopher’s book. Rather, they were discovered through experimentation and thorough research through one’s own experiences.
He says that it is harder for him to doubt something deliberate, and the idea that he can have opportunities that are up to him to decide that fate of an outcome. He goes on to say that we must be wiser with our principles and start adjusting our theories to our data and avoid tailoring our data to our theories.
We are who we are because of a biological process called natural selection. The theory of biological evolution by natural selection first exposed by Charles Darwin (1859) is probably the most revolutionary idea in the history of human thought. Surprisingly, despite the crucial importance for the understanding of ourselves as a species and other biological species, few men actually understand or even know, the natural mechanism that created us. Never a seemingly simple concept was so difficult to understand. It 's like natural selection, creating an intelligent species like ours, while hiding the elemental biological rationale behind its operation. But I suspect that the ultimate reason that natural selection is not part
fast” (2.3.101); it is odd how someone could not apply his own wisdom to his own actions.
He had two different approaches to how the universe was created. Paley compared a watched the way the universe, he thought the world was like a machine it must have a des... ... middle of paper ... ... nthropic Principle’ believed that ‘Nature produces living beings but with fine tuning that is found in the universe; life could just as easily not developed into earth’ I think that this quote is trying to say that the universe has been developed by evolution and was created by God, a designer.
Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection explains the general laws by which any given species transforms into other varieties and species. Darwin extends the application of his theory to the entire hierarchy of classification and states that all forms of life have descended from one incredibly remote ancestor. The process of natural selection entails the divergence of character of specific varieties and the subsequent classification of once-related living forms as distinct entities on one or many levels of classification. The process occurs as a species varies slightly over the course of numerous generations. Through inheritance, natural selection preserves each variation that proves advantageous to that species in its present circumstances of living, which include its interaction with closely related species in the “struggle for existence” (Darwin 62).
In order for a species to survive, its population has to evolve. Evolution is the process of gradual change driven by natural selection to improve survival. Evolution is the explanation of how life got to its current state. Before the idea of evolution, the Bible gave the explanation of how things came to be, the Theory of Creation. Charles Darwin is credited for developing the theory of evolution. Scientist such as Georges Cuiver, James Hutton and Charles Lyell, and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck heavily influenced Darwin. It is because of Darwin’s voyage aboard the Beagle that we now have a scientific explanation of how species came to be. Canines have evolved and have been domesticated by artificial selection into our household pets. Unlike natural
William Paley develops his view of the design argument through an example of a wristwatch. He has the reader imagine themselves coming across a watch on the ground. He then asks the reader how they think the watch came to be there or came to exist in the first place. Looking at the watch, Paley says that one will notice the intricate design of the watch and notice that all the parts were put together in such a way to serve a purpose, namely, to tell time. Paley believes that from looking at the watch we will be lead to think that the watch has a clever designer. The watch displays a certain evidence of its own design.
Paley’s analogy came about from the concept of a stone. He encountered this stone during his walk and wondered how it came about (Paley, 1802, 196). He applies the idea that since a designer must have created this stone, this designer must have created other things just like how a watch is created by a watchmaker. His analogy for a watch and its watch maker becomes his key argument because he argues that you cannot come to a conclusion that a stone was formed by a natural process, just like how when you look at a watch it has a watchmaker (Paley, 1802, 96). When comparing it to a stone, Paley says someone must have created it.
Many scientists in the past, such as Aristotle and Plato, believed that there were no changes in populations; however, other scientists, such as Darwin and Wallace, arose and argued that species inherit heritable traits from common ancestors and environmental forces drives out certain heritable traits that makes the species better suited to survive or be more “fit” for that environment. Therefore, species do change over a period of time and they were able to support their theory by showing that evolution does occur. There were four basic mechanisms of evolution in their theory: mutation, migration, genetic drift, and natural selection. Natural selection is the gradual process by which heritable traits that makes it more likely for an organism to survive and successfully reproduce increases, whereas there is a decline in those who do have those beneficial heritable traits (Natural Selection). For example, there is a decrease in rain which causes a drought in the finches’ environment. The seeds in the finches’ environment would not be soft enough for the smaller and weaker beak finches to break; therefore, they cannot compete with the larger and stronger beak finches for food. The larger and stronger beak finches has a heritable trait that helps them survive and reproduce better than others for that particular environment which makes them categorized under natural selection (Freeman, 2002).
The evolution theory, one of the most significant theories, laid groundwork for the study of modern biological science. This theory has lead scientists into unending debates due to lack of empirical supports. Until the mid-eighteenth century, when Charles Darwin came up with an explanation to evolution, scientists, then, began to endorse this hypothesis. In “Natural Selection,” Darwin explains the natural selection, a plausible mechanism that causes evolution, to gain approval of his cynical audience for his evolution theory. He supports his claim with numerous examples of animals and plants that have developed traits beneficial for survival. A century later, Stephen Jay Gould, influenced by Darwin’s work, supports the evolution theory with a different method. In “Evolution as Fact and Theory,” Gould, in contrast to Darwin, criticizes his detractors, the creationists who believe that every life form is the creation of a supernatural being, to reinforce the validity of the evolution theory. Gould undermines creationism by emphasizing its misused concepts of theory and popular philosophy, proving that it is not science. Besides denouncing creationism, Gould also provides theoretical examples as evidence to prove evolution is a theory. Despite their different approaches, both Darwin and Gould effectively prove the existence of evolution.
Paley’s argument discussed that an object so intricate and complex as a watch it must have a designer. The complex watch has so many functions and fragments inside of it such as the coils and the second and minute hands that move around the clock that make it so intricate. The watch has been really thought out. Inside the watch the middle and second hand move in equal and constant measured motion. The complexity of the watch shows that it has to be a product of a being that is very intelligent. The complexity of the watch can be also compared to the way our eye works. The eye is a complex organ that is able to regulate movement and perceive the world around us in a very complex way. Although the eyes are complex organs, it is one of the