1. Briefly describe William Paley’s Argument from design. Explain how Darwinian evolution can be used to refute this argument. (5 pts)
The Teleological argument, given by William Paley in 1802 states that there is a “Designing Creator”, and that everything in this world has been designed to fulfill some sort of function. He bases this argument using a traditional time piece, a watch, as an analogy. Paley states that the watch, unlike a stone or a rock, could not have been placed or created by accident, and that the existence of a watch is proof that there must be a watchmaker. He compares this watch to the existence of the universe, stating that the universe itself is proof that there is some sort of designer present, and like a watch (but unlike a rock or stone) could not have been created by accident. He then continues to state that further evidence of a God can be found in the supposed “regularity” of the universe. Paley claims that due to the universe behaving in a very apparent manner, while retaining boundaries (Newtons laws of motion, etc) that this is a very apparent display of a God having rule over a very mechanical universe. Now Darwin on the other hand was a large
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In science, a theory will refer to an explanation of an important feature of the world supported by testing and facts that have been gathered over time. It’s there scientific theories that allow scientists to make predictions about untested and unobserved concurrences in the world. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has this explanation of what a theory means to those in the science field, and it is as follows, “A scientific theory is a well substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts......Such fact supported theories are not guesses but reliable accounts of the real
The main argument here though, would be valid and would be that the universe was not created by chance. The universe was created for a purpose. Obviously Paley was trying to get the message that God was above all and that he created the heavens and the Earth and was the most powerful. But he did it to where it was neither making a valid point nor conflicted with itself. His argument does not have a true premise, or it’s not entirely accurate. It is neither been proven or disproven.
In Charles Darwin’s life he had helped make a significant advancement in the way mankind viewed the world. With his observations, he played a part in shifting the model of evolution into his peers’ minds. Darwin’s theory on natural selection impacted the areas of science and religion because it questioned and challenged the Bible; and anything that challenged the Bible in Darwin’s era was sure to create contention with the church. Members of the Church took offense to Darwin’s Origins of Species because it unswervingly contradicted the teachings of the book of Genesis in the Bible. (Zhao, 2009) Natural selection changed the way people thought. Where the Bible teaches that “all organisms have been in an unchanging state since the great flood, and that everything twas molded in God’s will.” (Zhao, 2009) Darwin’s geological journey to the Galapagos Islands is where he was first able to get the observations he needed to prove how various species change over t...
William Paley’s teleological argument (also known as the argument from design) is an attempt to prove the existence of god. This argument succeeds in proving that while existence was created by an aggregation of forces, to define these forces, as a conscious, rational, and ultimately godlike is dubious. Although the conclusions are valid, the argument makes several logical errors. The teleological argument relies on inductive reasoning, rendering the argument itself valid, but unsound. The argument fails to apply its own line of reasoning to itself, resulting in infinite regression. Beyond the scope of its logical flaws, the arguments content lacks accurate comparisons. The argument hinges on a watch metaphor, and as will be shown, this metaphor will prove inaccurate in explaining the creation of the universe.
When it comes to choosing an argument for the existence of god I believe that Paley’s argument of creation and design is the best for proving that god does exist. In his argument Paley is suggesting that if we were to look at the world around us, we could easily come to the conclusion that it was not created by pure chance but, by a creator (a designer). Paley uses a watch and a rock in order to explain his argument. He mentions how if there was a watch on the floor and we have never seen it before, we would easily come to the conclusion that the watch could not have been made by pure chance but, some kind of intelligent design was put into it. He argues that when we look at the rock we do not so easily see the design, but it does not mean
There are many definitions to theory. According to Akers (2009) “theories are tentative answers to the commonly asked questions about events and behavior” (Akers, (2009, p. 1). Theory is a set of interconnect statements that explain how two or more things are related in two casual fashions, based upon a confirmed hypotheses and established multiple times by disconnected groups of researchers.
Consider two objects, one a stone and the other a watch. According to evangelical apologist William Paley, these two objects vary, The stone is simply a stone object, but the watch allows us to ascertain the existence of a creator. This paper will address Paley’s notion that complex indicate design that serves a purpose is evidence to the to the existence of an intelligent creator. This argument is also known as the “Design Argument” and was heavily acclaimed by the Stoics; a group of philosophers known for making their beliefs a way of life. I intend to argue against Paley’s fourth argument addressing the impossibility of chance.
The strongest criticism comes from Hume, stating that the complexity of the universe and barely few entities that have been explored about the universe both accuse Paley of making such a weak analogy between a watch and the universe. However, on the defense of Paley, the scientific universe has such delicate and accurate physical definition and law so that indicates the sign of design. The argument is compelling is that each well-adapted creatures demonstrate signs
In the early 1800's, a group of naturalists led by Captain FitzRoy, were planning an overseas trip, which they called the Voyage of the Beagle. They invited Darwin along, not as a naturalist, but as a helper. Through this trip, Darwin met many explorers that had their own theories about evolution. The first theory, which is the best known and most widely accepted one, is creationism. Creationism states that God created the heavens and the earth. Th...
After Sir Charles Darwin had introduced his original theory about the origins of species and evolution, humanity’s faith in God that remained undisputed for hundreds of years had reeled. The former unity fractured into the evolutionists, who believed that life as we see it today had developed from smaller and more primitive organisms, and creationists, who kept believing that life in all its diversity was created by a higher entity. Each side introduced substantial arguments to support their claims, but at the same time the counter-arguments of each opponent are also credible. Therefore, the debates between the evolutionists and the creationists seem to be far from ending. And though their arguments are completely opposite, they can co-exist or even complement each other.
This is where many non-scientists get it wrong. Theories are scientific evidence, collected over time, and accepted as a valid explanation for evidence. Theories are different than hypotheses and scientific laws. A hypothesis is an educated guess, based on knowledge, but that needs continual testing for further development (into a theory). Laws are scientific facts that are virtually incontrovertible. For instance, if you throw a ball up, it will come down. Gravity is a law of science.
The formal scientific definition of theory is quite different from the everyday meaning of the word. It refers to a comprehensive explanation of some aspect of nature that is supported by a vast body of evidence ("Evolution Resources from the National Academies"). The idea of evolution is a widely accepted theory around the world; there are people who still hold their religious and often bronze aged ideas to explain how the life on earth started and continued. In a creation versus evolution debate, these ideas may help you explain evolution.
William Paley develops his view of the design argument through an example of a wristwatch. He has the reader imagine themselves coming across a watch on the ground. He then asks the reader how they think the watch came to be there or came to exist in the first place. Looking at the watch, Paley says that one will notice the intricate design of the watch and notice that all the parts were put together in such a way to serve a purpose, namely, to tell time. Paley believes that from looking at the watch we will be lead to think that the watch has a clever designer. The watch displays a certain evidence of its own design.
William Paley and David Hume’s argument over God’s existence is known as the teleological argument, or the argument from design. Arguments from design are arguments concerning God or some type of creator’s existence based on the ideas of order or purpose in universe. Hume takes on the approach of arguing against the argument of design, while Paley argues for it. Although Hume and Paley both provide very strong arguments, a conclusion will be drawn at the end to distinguish which philosophiser holds a stronger position. Throughout this essay I will be examining arguments with reference to their work from Paley’s “The Watch and the Watchmaker” and Hume’s “The Critique of the Teleological Argument”.
Talking on both sides of the debate, each side feels as though the other has no scientific reasoning come up with their theory. In reading the article written by Shipman, the evolutionists believe that intelligent design has no concrete evidence on how the world was crea...
Since the beginning of humanity, science has been a developing topic full of mystery and questions. These questions might be as small as why closet doors close easier during the winter compared to the summer, and as big as how the universe was made. There are numerous topics in science such as chemistry, biology, and physics each of which have their own questions to be answered. They each have their own theories which have been developing since they began; but what is a theory? Well, according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, a theory is “an idea or set of ideas that is intended to explain facts or events.” Theories are a way of providing one straight explanation for a wide topic. Without theories, humanity would have to keep explaining a question without having an explanation for things that relate to it. However, theories are not only in the topic of science. There are mathematical, musical, and theories for pretty much every topic in this world. Keep in mind that a theory is not a law. For example, a famous scientifically theory most people have heard of is the Big Bang Theory. This theory is an effort to explain what happened at the very beginning of our universe; however, this theory explains other theories which in turn explain other theories making an enormous chain of theories that become more specific as you go down the chain. The key word in that is it is an effort to explain something. Theories are constantly developing and never really stop unit everything has been overlooked. Another famous theory falls in the scientific topic of Biology; the Cell Theory. This theory refers to the idea that cells are the basic unit of structure of all living things, and it backs that up with three mor...