Key Features of the Design Argument for the Existence of God

Key Features of the Design Argument for the Existence of God

Design arguments seek to move from facts about the world to the

existence of God. As such they are inductive, a posteriori arguments.

The Design argument is actually a broad title under which a number of

arguments fall. Swinburne in his book 'The Existence of God' suggests

three different groupings of these arguments. There are Teleological

arguments which argue from what is seen as a general pattern of order

in the Universe. Arguments from providence are those which seek to

argue in favour of God's existence from the provision for the needs of

conscious beings. The third type of argument is known as The Argument

from Beauty.

A clear distinction between these arguments can be drawn between those

which argue from design and arguments to design. The former is close

to the Teleological form of the argument whilst the latter is closer

to the Arguments from Providence.

William Paley is thought to have produced the most famous form of the

Teleological Argument. Paley uses an analogy between a watch and the

world. Looking at a watch one can see it has been designed for an

intelligent purpose, it is suggested that design suggests a designer.

Paley transferred this to the world claiming it showed the marks of

design for an intelligent purpose, thus implying a designer, God.

Isaac Newton also used analogy. Newton sited an eyeball, claiming that

it had been designed for a purpose, which again implies a designer,

God. In arguing along these lines both Newton and Paley are giving

interpretation perceived evidence of purposeful features.

The idea of purpose was one shared by Tho...

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individual judgement. The Design Argument, as illustrated by the

various criticisms of it, is by no means conclusive, if it was then

everyone would know that God exists, as opposed to now when a

significant number believe that God exists. If one believes that the

universe is a product of blind chance then the Design Argument will

not prove successful, as what it suggests as elements of design would

instead be assigned as a product of chance. However, the idea of the

universe just being here, a brute fact, a product of blind chance and

nothing more is a personally unsatisfactory one due to the

extraordinary nature of the universe and so whilst the Design Argument

may not conclusively prove the existence of God it suggests that the

existence of a Designer, who we know as God, is a more probable

likelihood than not.