2. AQUINAS’ FIFTH WAY QUA A Latin word meaning ‘relating to’. REGULARITY
In the context of the Teleological Argument, the word refers to the idea that the universe shows regularity and order in the way that it works.
A’POSTERIORI
Aquinas’ argument is a’posteriori which means it is based on experience – ie the observations of the universe showing regularity and order.
EMPIRICAL
Aquinas’ argument is based on observations he made about the universe, this makes it an empirical argument because his observations can be verified (checked).
INDUCTIVE
An argument that uses premises to reach a conclusion.
If the premises are correct then the conclusion is probably true.
AQUINAS’ FIFTH WAY
AQUINAS’ FIFTH
Aquinas’ version of the Teleological argument was the fifth of five arguments he put forward to demonstrate the existence of God.
AQUINAS’ PREMISES
There is beneficial order in the universe.
This beneficial order could not happen by chance.
Many objects do not have the intelligence to work towards a goal. Therefore they must be directed by something more intelligent. Therefore God exists as the explanation of beneficial order.
NON-RATIONAL BEINGS
Aquinas observed that non-rational beings act in a way that is beneficial to them and that such patterns of behaviour rarely change. He concluded that there must be a purpose to this and as these beings were non-rational, they could only be working towards this goal by being directed by an intelligent being.
GREY WHALES
Vast pods of grey whales migrate from the subarctic Alaskan coast to their Mexican breeding grounds every year.
STRENGTH
What alternative/better explanation is there for non-rational beings working towards beneficial order?
WEAKNESS
Even if we concede that non-rational beings are not capable of acting beneficially by themselves, it is still a big leap to conclude that they must be being guided by God.

3. PALEY’S WATCHMAKER ANALOGY
Watch shows regularity and purpose, had to have been designed
Conceivable to believe that a stone got there by chance
Avoids mentioning anything about the nature of the designer – aware of a criticism by Hume
Avoids anthropomorphism by saying that God was obviously superior to a human designer
Evil and suffering show bad design, not lack of it
God is far greater than humans in his designing power
Swinburne – the analogy of animals and machines seems correct
Objected to the watch (and universe) are here by chance
Humans and animals are so intricate that God must have designed them

5. THE ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE
IDEA
THE ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE
Natural selection was part of the design as it ensured that human life would evolve.
The universe was created for the purpose of the creation of human life.
Reconciles the idea of a divine designer and the big bang and evolution – these are the ways in which the designer chose to bring human life into existence.
STRENGTHS
The universe displays such order that it is improbable to believe that this was the result of chance, it just seems too unlikely.
The universe is so orderly that not only was it designed, but it was designed specifically to support the creation of human life.
WEAKNESSES
Arrogant to say that the universe was made just for us - the universe has existed for billions of years and yet human life has been around for a tiny fraction of this period.
The claim that the universe was designed specifically for humans because its conditions are suitable for us to live could also be applied to any creature that currently exists
Unless we can say what the universe would be like without design, we cannot reach the conclusion that it has been designed.
When religious believers speak of God, they do so in terms far more grand than simply a creature of regularity.

6. THE ARGUMENT FROM PROBABILITY
RICHARD SWINBURNE
KEY IDEA
Evidence of design and order in the universe increases the probability of the existence of God – when we look at the 7 features of the universe, they indicate the probability that God exists
SWINBURNE’S 7 FEATURES
SWINBURNE VS PALEY
HOW DO SWINBURNE’S IDEAS FIT WITH THE ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE? 1
The very existence of the universe 2
The fact that the universe is ordered 3
The existence of consciousness 4
Human opportunities to do good 5
The pattern of history 6
The evidence of miracles 7
Religious experience
Paley only spoke about the designer of the universe as ‘intelligent’. He was careful to avoid commenting on the nature of the designer Himself. Swinburne, on the other hand proposes that God is the designer and his qualities are omnipotence, omnibenevolence and generosity.
Both propose that the universe was created for the purpose of humans.
Evolution and natural selection were the vehicles through which God chose to bring human life into existence, ‘The very success of science in showing us how deeply orderly the natural world is, provide strong evidence for believing in that there is a deeper cause for that order.’
EXPLAIN WHAT SWINBURNE MEANT BY ‘THE EARTH’S PROVIDENTIAL NATURE INDICATES THAT IT WAS DESIGNED BY GOD’
The earth contains everything that is necessary for survival, and natural laws function within the universe making it a place where humans can develop. This type of universe is one that man can meaningfully contribute to the development and maintenance of. This is exactly the kind of universe that a loving God would want to create.

7. EVOLUTION AND DESIGN STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
1, There is a wealth of evidence to support the development of species through natural selection.
2, It avoids dealing with the question of why a supposedly omnipotent and omnibenevolent God would create a universe filled with evil and suffering
WEAKNESSES
1, there are things that the theory fails to explain such as why the universe was created? What is its purpose?
2, Although there is undeniably a large amount of evidence to support natural selection, there are significant gaps in the fossil records which arguably calls the credibility of the theory into question. Furthermore, why have some species evolved ineffectively?
The basic idea behind the theory of evolution is that all the different species have evolved from simple life forms.
God and evolution can work together as many theists consider evolution to be a process set in motion by God as the vehicle he chose to use to design and create the universe.
Evolution is a direct challenge to the idea of God designing and creating the universe as it replaces him with an arbitrary process.

8. DEISM AND DESIGN STRENGTHS
1, It explains why the universe was designed with order and purpose; God planned it that way.
2, It accounts for why there is evil and suffering as, having created the universe, God has now abandoned his creation and is not there to intervene.
The Designer orders (and perhaps also creates) the universe and then leaves it alone.
WEAKNESSES
1, Why would any designer design a universe that would cause suffering?
2, The idea of a God who abandons his creation completely undermines a core belief of many monotheistic traditions such as Christianity and Islam that God is omnibenevolent – is this really a weakness though?
Deism is opposed to most of the world's organised religions, because these religions all teach that God has intervened in the world to speak to them in particular, through their prophets, priests, scriptures or messiahs. The God of Deism would not do this. Most of the world's religions also teach that God performs miracles but Deism rejects the miraculous
Hick argues that, in order to make free-willed decisions, humans have to perceive themselves to be alone in the universe. Therefore God needs to hide himself and, if God does intervene, it has to be subtly, leaving the rest of humanity free to make their own decisions. This is very important for the freewill defence to the problem of evil and suffering.