Can you think of any arguments against the inductive argument for God?

Alternative scientific explanations The Big Bang Question 1 What was the Big Bang? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs-yWMuBNr4 Stephen Hawkings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePkPYA4AQ3o

At the point of creation . . . The entire Universe was inside a bubble that was thousands of times smaller than a pinhead. It was hotter and denser than anything we can imagine. Then it suddenly expanded/exploded.

Most astronomers believe that this expansion started with a Big Bang about 14 billion years ago. In fact the words ‘big’ and ‘bang’ don’t even begin to express the enormity

The Universe that we know was born. Time, space and matter all began with the Big Bang. In a fraction of a second, the Universe grew from smaller than a single atom to bigger than a galaxy. And it kept on growing at a fantastic rate. It is still expanding today.

Question 2 Evidence Things I expect to see in your answer . . . Evidence of the Big Bang is found in the ratio of hydrogen to helium In 1929, astronomer Edwin Hubble made his greatest discovery It was that the light coming from other galaxies was redder than expected He took this to mean that the galaxies were all moving away from us

He observed this because of something called the ‘Red Shift’ It’s about wave length Something moving away very fast looks red while something moving towards us looks more blue

It’s the same sort of thing as the Doppler effect with sound waves Which means that a sound coming towards us is different from a sound going away from us. This leads to the believe that the whole universe is expanding

Summary Although this is a scientific theory, it can also be used to either support or deny the existence of God The debate is based on whether or not the cause for Big Bang Theory was natural or divine in origin In other words, was it a completely random event, or- a deliberate action by God?

Evolution by natural selection Does this queue appear to have order? What might the order appear to be? Would Darwin believe the apparent order came about from agency or mechanisation? Write a summary paragraph to explain the ideas of agency and mechanisation Darwin song

8. What evidence did Paley use for design

9. Explain the ideas suggested before Darwin?

10. What evidence was used to support Darwin’s ideas

The first life form arose from inanimate matter 11. Explain how Darwin’s theory of evolution challenges inductive arguments for the existence of God. Evolution claims . . The first life form arose from inanimate matter All life forms originated from this single organism There was a gradual development of increasingly complex life-forms There is variation in nature, evolution is continuing Not as described in Genesis

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection 1859 Darwin proposed that organisms produce more offspring than can actually survive - pigs Offspring are not identical, there are variations - finches

Darwin cont.. Survival depends on adapting to the environment The offspring that prosper produce more offspring than those who don’t Over time this increases the number of offspring, with more variations This in turn increases the survival of the species It’s a process of “natural selection”

Evolutionary theory Each species has a limited supply of food so there is competition for nutrition within species and between other species who share the same habitat – NATURE IS ‘RED IN TOOTH AND CLAW’ There will be winners and losers Those who survive predators and get enough food to eat are the ones with the strongest characteristics “survival of the fittest” Their offspring in turn then inherit the best characteristics needed to survive e.g. speed, ability to climb or think

So did Darwin murder God So did Darwin murder God? The challenge to religious belief from evolution Darwin’s theory did undermine the biblical account of creation He showed living things might develop in small steps – challenges fixity of species Life could be the result of random chance – Dawking ‘random genetic mutation.’ Not created by a creator/designer

Darwin on God cont.. Evolution states that species had to change to fit in with their environment Adaptation- rather than God creating the environment for the benefit of various life-forms Darwin concluded; “all human characteristics are by natural selection of other life forms; we are descended from apes” (The Descent of Man, 1871)

Dawkins – useful for AO2 What can you see? What would you like to know? What can you infer?

Dawkins – introduction Listen, think and jot down key Richard Dawkins has written several books that support Darwinian evolution and reject God and the design argument For Dawkins the appearance of design is an illusion. There is no God masterminding the process, only the ‘blind, unconscious automatic process that Darwin discovered’

A famous book by Dawkins is called ‘The Blind Watchmaker’ Explain the significance in the choice of the title

Relevant information Dawkins has redefined the principles of evolution by introducing the concept of random genetic mutation Living organisms have complex genetic codes When a new organism is formed through evolution sometimes random genetic mutations creep in This genetic make up causes each living thing to develop in the way that it does

The Selfish Gene Dawkins believes that our genes are ‘selfish’: by this he means that genes are engaged in a struggle for survival The most ‘selfish’ genes survive using the human body which is a kind of ‘survival suit’ The sole purpose is that genes survive to benefit themselves primarily, rather than the organism as a whole

Supporting evidence/examples http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry-koSHRdZs Why do you think this bird is singing? Why might it be dangerous for the wren? ‘A student of wren biology claimed that one of his wild males sang itself literally to death. Any utility function that had the long term welfare of the species at heart, even the long term survival of this particular individual male, would cut down the amount of singing, the amount of displaying, the amount of fighting amongst males. Yet, because what is really being maximised is DNA survival, nothing can stop the spread of DNA that has no beneficial effect other than making males beautiful to females’ Dawkins

What are memes? Meme – unit of cultural inheritance Memetics applies evolutionary principles to ideas. Ideas can mutate and compete for survival

Memes and beauty Music Why might some people think this song is ‘beautiful’? Do our opinions affect/have an impact on anybody else? Who? Why? http://meme Art Why would many people consider this to be a ‘beautiful’ picture? Where do we learn our ideas about what is good, fashionable or beautiful? Fashion How do we know what is stylish? Who or what influences us?

Memes What aspect of the teleological argument can be challenged by memetics? Why does Dawkins describe religion as a successful meme?