The Design Argument
i) Explain the prominent features of the design argument ii) Comment on the view that the design argument provides coherent explanation for the universe.
The design argument is the argument for the existence of God based around the idea that the universe is designed and if it has been designed then there must have been a designer and therefore that designer must be God. Like the cosmological argument it is an a posteriori argument, which means that it relies upon empirical evidence (evidence that can be shown through experiment and scientific testing). This means that it also has something called synthetic premises, these are statements, which make a larger claim than their mere definition. Finally it is known as an inductive argument because it draws on many sources of evidence and uses them to point towards a conclusion instead of just proving it absolutely. The design argument consists of two parts. The first part is forming a test for design and then putting nature through that test. The design argument says that nature qualifies the test and therefore must be designed. The second part is that a God must be the designer of the universe and this proves that God exists.
Some of the earliest known statements about the design argument were made by a man called Cicero (106 – 43BC), he said that it is obvious that there must be some “divinity of superior intelligence” because merely looking at the sky must make you think that it is designed and that therefore there must be a designer. This is essentially the basis of the entire of the design argument. It is based around the notion that it is so impossible to look an something as complex as the world around us and claim that is it not designed.
Another early philosopher who argued for the design argument was St Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274 Ad). What Aquinas said was that there are things in this world, which are unthinking like trees but they still, follow their instincts and head towards an end. For
The design argument is the argument for the existence of God based around the idea that the universe is designed and if it has been designed then there must have been a designer and therefore that designer must be God. Like the cosmological argument it is an a posteriori argument, which means that it relies upon empirical evidence (evidence that can be shown through experiment and scientific testing). This means that it also has something called synthetic premises, these are statements, which make a larger claim than their mere definition. Finally it is known as an inductive argument because it draws on many sources of evidence and uses them to point towards a conclusion instead of just proving it absolutely. The design argument consists of two parts. The first part is forming a test for design and then putting nature through that test. The design argument says that nature qualifies the test and therefore must be designed. The second part is that a God must be the designer of the universe and this proves that God exists.
Some of the earliest known statements about the design argument were made by a man called Cicero (106 – 43BC), he said that it is obvious that there must be some “divinity of superior intelligence” because merely looking at the sky must make you think that it is designed and that therefore there must be a designer. This is essentially the basis of the entire of the design argument. It is based around the notion that it is so impossible to look an something as complex as the world around us and claim that is it not designed.
Another early philosopher who argued for the design argument was St Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274 Ad). What Aquinas said was that there are things in this world, which are unthinking like trees but they still, follow their instincts and head towards an end. For