A Questions
•AO1 – Knowledge and
Understanding – one side.
•Explain in lots of detail
•20 mins
•Approx 2 sides
•Link back to the question
•Make links between your
paragraphs – don’t
produce a list.
a) Explain the main features of the Design Argument [30]
•Intro – inductive, a priori
•Aquinas – 5th way, Summa Theologica, God not selfevident, design qua regularity, heart, 2 things in nature,
chance or God, Archer analogy.
•Paley – Natural Theology, similar effect, similar causes,
watch analogy, design qua regularity (planets), design
qua purpose (eye), scale and proportion.
•Swinburne – Argument from Spatial Order, Argument
from Temporal Order, Anthropic Principle
•Tennant – Aesthetic Principle
a) Explain how science challenges the Design Argument.
[30]
• Darwin – On the Origin of the Species (1859) Explain the
key ideas, but don’t waffle! (NS, adaptation)
• Dawkins – The Blind Watchmaker
• “All attempts to understand humanity before 1859 are
useless.” Continuing to support the Design Argument is
‘intellectual suicide.’
• “Paley ... [is] wrong, gloriously and utterly wrong” The
appearance of design is an illusion.
• “[Evolution is] a blind, unconscious, automatic process.”
– Questioning the apparent purpose of the universe
• “Design is not the only alternative to chance, Natural
Selection is a better alternative.”
Explain how the Design Argument has been criticised by
Philosophy [30]
•David Hume – Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
•Criticisms based on the use of analogy
•Moving too far from the evidence
•Can’t check to see if there is a worldmaker
•If God made us, who made God?
•Anthropomorphism
•Hume and John Stuart Mill – Evil and Suffering leads to
belief in an imperfect God.
•THIS IS NOT A B) QUESTION – THERE IS NO NEED TO
ARGUE AGAINST HUME IN A)!!
B Questions
A good B question will:
• Have a clear argument running through it, but
will not use ‘I’.
• Examine both sides.
• Contain analysis (next slide will help)
• Be focussed on the question.
• Come to a conclusion which is based on
evidence discussed in the essay.
Critical Analysis
• This is a very damaging criticism because ___.
• However, one could argue that _____.
• The Design Argument can not stand up against
this criticism because _____
• Although Polkinghorne defends the Design
Argument by stating _____, he fails to protect the
argument fully because _______.
• Dawkin’s argument’s is weak here because ____.
• Despite this criticism, the Design Argument is still
a sound one because ________.
b) “The Design Argument makes it reasonable to believe
in God.” How far do you agree with this statement? [15]
FOR
•Kant – appeals to our
common sense. A
posteriori so we can all
relate to it.
•Swinburne – adapts the
argument, makes it fit with
modern ideas (evolution)
•Tennant – Aesthetic
principle – beauty not
explained by evolution
•Cumulative Argument
AGAINST
•Kant and Hume– moves too
far away from the evidence.
Hume’s criticisms.
•God of the gaps? + is there
order in the universe? What
kind of God are we left with?
•If God is responsible for
beauty, is He not also
responsible for suffering and
evil (Hume / J S Mill.
•Leaky Bucket Argument
b) Assess the view that science makes the Design Argument
a failure. [15]
AGAINST
FOR
•Dawkins - Natural Selection •Swinburne – Argument
from Temporal Order
– ‘a better alternative’.
•Paley has been shown to be
‘wrong, gloriously and utterly
wrong.’
•Anthropic Principle –
•Order of the universe is an
Tennant, de Chardin
illusion
•God gives purpose through
•There is no purpose in the
evolotion (Kingsley)
universe.
•Swinburne – Parable of the
•God is not needed to
Kidnapped Man
explain the universe.
To what extent do the criticisms of David Hume threaten
to destroy the Design Argument? [15]
FOR
AGAINST
•Moves too far away
•The Argument is inductive, we
from the evidence
need to use faith to reach the
conclusion that God exists
•God of Christianity?
•Humans are made in ‘God’s
Anthropomorphism
image so there are links. Scale
and Proportion
•Suffering and Evil
•God has a reason for suffering.
Humans cause evil due to free
will
•If God made us who
•God is outside of space and
made God?
time, therefore, needs no
cause.
Assess how successful Richard Swinburne has been in
defending the Design Argument from the criticisms of
Science and Philosophy. [15]
AGAINST
FOR
•God of the Gaps
•Recognises the argument
needs to adapt to
incorporate science
•There are still Philosophical
•Argument from Temporal
problems like evil.
Order does not use analogy
•Unusual events do happen.
•Parable of the Kidnapped
Man – the fact that Evolution Evolution can be down to
happened needs explanation chance
•Examples of complete
•Anthropic Principle – God
disorder in the universe –
‘fine-tuned’ universe to
Black Holes.
enable evolution to happen