Lesson 2: Hume's Criticisms of the Design Argument PDF

10 minutes! Revise the Teleological argument Don’t forget to look at key terms  Exam Prep Complete the 15 word grid Include: Key terms Key names Key phrases Key points quotes  Exam Questions – AO1 AO1 The command word will always...

10 minutes! Revise the Teleological argument Don’t forget to look at key terms  Exam Prep Complete the 15 word grid Include: Key terms Key names Key phrases Key points quotes  Exam Questions – AO1 AO1 The command word will always be Examine You need to select and present key ideas and develop them through the use of relevant evidence, including text/scripture where appropriate. /10 Spend 18 minutes only! ’s O n t o lo g ic a l a m i n e Anselm a) Ex 0 m arks) a) Examine the n t (1 different Argume approaches to p roving God exis taken by the On ts tological and Cosmological Ar g u me  How to answer AO1 Questions No introduction – you only have 18 minutes, get straight into the question! Aim for 4+ paragraphs Follow the paragraph structure Point Evidence Explain Example Use key terms Use short easy to remember quotes as evidence No need for a conclusion either!  Exam Question Examine the Teleological argument for the existence of God (10 marks) 18 minutes Start End Philosophy of Religion Lesson 2: LO To be able to evaluate Hume’s Criticisms of the Design Argument  What is your opinion of the Teleological Argument? Can you think of any criticisms/weaknesses?  David Hume 1711-1776 Empiricist a person who supports the theory that all knowledge is based on experience derived from the senses Sceptic a person inclined to question or doubt accepted opinions. David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, born in Edinburgh. He was an empiricist, a sceptic and probably an atheist. 1:00 0:01 0:02 0:03 0:04 0:05 0:06 0:07 0:08 0:09 0:10 0:11 0:12 0:13 0:14 0:15 0:16 0:17 0:18 0:19 0:20 0:21 0:22 0:23 0:24 0:25 0:26 0:27 0:28 0:29 0:30 0:31 0:32 0:33 0:34 0:35 0:36 0:37 0:38 0:39 0:40 0:41 0:42 0:43 0:44 0:45 0:46 0:47 0:48 0:49 0:50 0:51 0:52 0:53 0:54 0:55 0:56 0:57 0:58 0:59 End 1:00 Do you know the meaning of all of those words?  David Hume 1711-1776 Hume’s critique of Design Arguments appears in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779) 1 minute What do you notice about the dates of Hume’s publication?  David Hume 1711-1776 Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion is a philosophical work by the Scottish philosopher David Hume Through dialogue, three philosophers named Demea, Philo, and Cleanthes debate the nature of God's existence. Whether or not these names reference specific philosophers, ancient or otherwise, remains a topic of scholarly dispute While all three agree that a god exists, they differ sharply in opinion on God's nature or attributes and how, or if, humankind can come to knowledge of a deity  Avoid three common errors 1. Avoid the error of thinking that Hume was commenting on Paley’s Design Argument. Paley published Natural Theology 26 years later 2. Avoid the error of assuming Paley had no knowledge of Hume’s critique of Design Arguments…’Mr Hume, in his posthumous dialogues’ 3. Do not turn into a parrot…explanation of some not all. It is not sufficient to reduce his argument to simple phrases or even single words  Hume’s arguments 1. Even if we grant the universe was designed, there is no evidence that this was the God of Christian theism. A lesser being could have designed the universe. Princi ple A cause must be proportional to its effect or a wise man proportions his belief to his evidence  Hume’s application Paley infers that the designer of the universe is the all-knowing, all-loving God of Christian theism Although such an inference might be true it is nevertheless out of proportion to the evidence If there is a designer, a lesser being could well be responsible  The idea of a limited designer No obvious reason to suppose that the designer of this universe was a metaphysical being What does the term metaphysical mean? 0:01 0:02 0:03 0:04 0:05 0:06 0:07 0:08 0:09 0:10 0:11 0:12 0:13 0:14 0:15 0:16 0:17 0:18 0:19 0:20 0:21 0:22 0:23 0:24 0:25 0:26 0:27 0:28 0:29 0:30 0:31 0:32 0:33 0:34 0:35 0:36 0:37 0:38 0:39 0:40 0:41 0:42 0:43 0:44 0:45 0:46 0:47 0:48 0:49 0:50 0:51 0:52 0:53 0:54 0:55 0:56 0:57 0:58 0:59 1:00 End  METAPHYSICAL The term metaphysical refers to ideas and concepts that cannot be experienced through our senses. These ideas and concepts do not take up physical space, they are not part of our physical world. This therefore includes concepts such as God, heaven, Plato’s World of Forms. Basically anything that cannot be experienced through the senses, that we cannot prove to be true with evidence, is metaphysical.  The idea of a limited designer Design is normally a feature of teamwork, so there is no obvious reason to suppose that the designer of this universe was a single being operating on his own Was the universe designed by one being, or many? Hume’s argument What is Hume suggesting in this passage? 3 minutes End  Hume’s argument 2. The existence of evil and imperfection in the world does indeed suggest a limited designer Key 1 minute terms Omnipotent All-powerful Omnibenevolent All-loving Anthropomorphism Attributing human form or ideas or beings other than humans, particularly End to gods and animals Epicurus’ question about evil If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to Then He is not omnipotent. If He is able, but not willing Then He is malevolent. If He is both able and willing Then whence cometh evil. If He is neither able nor willing Then why call Him God? Epicurean paradox Epicurus 341 BC- 270 BC  The inconsistent triad i. God is omnipotent (all powerful) ii. God is omnibenevolent (all loving) iii. Evil exists Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779)  Hume’s argument Hume suggests that we only have to think of the long catalogue of ailments that afflict both humans and animals to see this is not what we would expect from a being or infinite power, wisdom and goodness Universe could have been designed by an infant God or senile God Instead of confronting such problems, theologians spend much more time inventing theodicies to excuse God’s behaviour  Discussion time In groups, discuss both Epicurus’ and Hume's question about evil Do you agree that this 5 minutes suggests a limited designer Consider everyone’s opinions and thoughts  Hume’s argument 3. Analogies between the way the universe works and the way machines work are unsound The world is more like a vast floating vegetable, and the things about vegetables is that they grow themselves, apparently without the need for a designer Hume appears to anticipate Darwin’s theory of evolution Most evolutionary biologists suggest evolution is not directed by an external agent such as God Darwin 1809- 1882  Hume’s argument 4. To make an analogy between the designers of human machines and the designer of the universe is just anthropomorphism Can you explain how design arguments anthropomorphic? End  Hume’s argument We have no experience of how universes are made or what the designer would be like Our experience of design is limited to the machines we design ourselves We cannot assume that we can apply our limited experience of life on this world to the universe as a whole  Hume’s argument 5. The universe could have developed into a comparatively ordered state simply by chance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUQ57g- RR7k ‘Epicurean Hypothesis’ – it is at least as likely the world appears in an ordered state purely by chance arrangement as that it was designed by God  Epicurus Epicurus taught that the basic constituents of the world were invisible atoms The world is nothing more nor less than changing arrangements of its atoms Infinite time means it was inevitable that atoms should arrive in an ordered state 21st Century physics offers multiverse  In your group: Read through the 4 criticisms of the Teleological theory 1) Hume - from design 2) Hume – for design 3) Evolution 4) Richard Dawkins Highlight important information Fill in summary sheet ine of Agree and Disagree… The design argument successfully proves the existence of God Agree Disagre ine of Agree and Disagree… All the design argument proves is a designer, not Agree Disagre the classical theistic concept of a Christian God ine of Agree and Disagree… The existence of evil shows the world could Agree Disagre not have been designed by an omnibenevolent God ine of Agree and Disagree… Evolution shows that to use God to explain the apparent design in the Agree world is no longer necessary. Disagre