28 January 2001
A. Hume’s
version of Teleological Argument (Cleanthes)
1. The world is like a machine.
2. Machines are made by human beings, in
accord with plans.
3. Like effects have like causes.
4. Therefore, the world owes its existence
to something like a human being, who operates according to something like a
plan.
B. Criticisms (Philo)
1. Effects not similar enough to infer like
causes
a. Teleological Argument is speculative,
overgenerlizes
b. Perhaps world is more like a vegetable than it is like a machine!
2. Argument too weak : unable to derive important
attributes of God
a. Infinity
b. Perfection
c. Unity
3. Argument too strong: makes God too much like
human beings
4. Alternative explanations of same data: design without a designer?
A. Basic
form of problem
1. If there were an all-powerful, perfectly
benevolent God, then there would be no evil.
2. There is evil.
3. Therefore, there is no all-powerful,
perfectly benevolent God.
B. Points
to ponder
1. Evil
a. moral evil (e.g. sin)
b. natural evil (e.g. natural disasters)
c. Generally, pain or unhappiness.
2. Evil the responsibility of humanity?
a. Why are humans this way?
b. What about natural evil?
3. Evil part of a “master plan”?
a. Is the evil really necessary?
b. Even if there really are necessary evils given how things actually are, why should
things be as they actually are? That is, why this master plan?