Teleological Argument for God’s existence
The teleological argument for God’s existence has many philosophical supporters and is the idea that the universe has order, purpose and follows natural laws; this must mean the universe have a designer. In this essay I will explain the theories of Thomas Aquinas,
Tennant and Swinburne and how they support the idea of God being the creator of the universe.
Thomas Aquinas noticed that everything that thinks follows a goal. They follow this goal because they have a purpose to fulfil. He also noticed that things that don’t have intelligence but have a goal must be directed towards that goal by something with intelligence.
An analogy for this theory comes from Aquinas himself. It describes an arrow designed to be shot at a goal. However, it cannot reach this goal unless it is guided by an archer. This analogy can be applied to the universe itself since planets and stars move across the universe, these unintelligent objects must have a being of intelligence guiding them. The only possible being capable of this would be God.
God would only impose order that was beneficial, therefore everything that follow natural laws moves towards a beneficial goal, for example; the sun burns providing light that allows plants to photosynthesise. These plants then grow providing food for other organisms.
Everything either has a goal or can be directed towards a goal. This must mean God has designed purposes for everything in the universe.
Another philosophical theory providing evidence for the existence of God is Paley’s watch analogy. This analogy tells us how a watch is perfectly designed to fulfil its purpose of telling the time; the gears, springs and dials have all been specifically made so that the watch works properly. The complexity of these mechanisms can only be put together by a skilled designer, even if we didn’t know who the designer was it does not matter since we know the watch exists.
This idea is supported by evolution as evolution can be considered God perfecting his design over time in order to evolve intelligent life.
Paley noted that the universe is a complex design involving millions of parts that work together to form order and regularity. The human body is an excellent example of this theory as it is has many parts such as the lungs, heart, stomach and muscles that work in unison to keep us alive and give us motion in order to achieve our goals. Such a perfect, complex system must have been created by an intelligent designer. The same can be said for almost everything we observe around us in the natural world.
According to logical probability, the chances of a universe and everything in it to be formed as perfect as it is coming into existence by accident are slim to none. This supports the idea that a creator, God, designed the universe to be a it is.
At a closer look, it can be argued it is foolish to compare the design of a watch, of which we have a good understanding of both design and purpose as well as experience crafting,

whereas we have no experience designing a universe neither are we confident in the purpose or exact functions of it.
Further evidence can be found in the beauty we experience within our world. Beauty and attractive design serve no function for survival nor does it seem to serve a purpose other than to make the world a more pleasant place to live in. It is argued that God designed beauty in order to allow us to enjoy the world in which we live. This is known as the aesthetic argument.
Humans are the only species capable of appreciating the finer arts of life such as literature, fashion, architecture and cosmetics. Our perception of beauty does not necessarily mean the things we observe are beautiful, it merely means we are able to appreciate them more and gain more enjoyment out of them. Why do people appreciate that which does not sustain life?
Tennant’s anthropic argument uses the fact that the natural world provides exactly what is needed to sustain life and that it can not only be observed but analysed thanks to the development of human life via evolution. God gave us the ability to think rationally in order to appreciate the world he designed and make choices to improve it.
A final philosophical argument comes from Swinburne as he argued that because we are able to make choices that contribute to the development of the universe. The ability to make choices must have been gifted to us by a loving creator, God.
Swinburne believes God is the best explanation because without a creator to give things order the universe would be chaotic. God chose to create the universe so there must be a reason for it otherwise there would be no need for the natural laws that we observe every day such as motion and attraction. God is the simple explanation for all unexplained phenomena. However, Swinburne accepts scientific explanations to phenomena we experience. The science of natural creations must be another part of God’s design.
In conclusion God must exist and the universe is the greatest evidence we have of an intelligent designer. There is no way the universe came to be by chance. The contributions of Paley, Aquinas and Tennant support this idea and provide us with possibilities as to the origin and function of the universe as we know it today. Paley effectively points out how just like a watch the universe is a complex mechanism that was designed by a skilled creator.
Aquinas provided evidence that things that don’t have the ability to think still fulfil some purpose, God must direct these things. Tennent presents both anthropic and aesthetic arguments that the universe provides everything we need for both sustaining life and for enjoyment. The teleological argument is not without its weaknesses but for many religious believers it is considered sufficient evidence for the existence of God.