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