The Argument from Design

1. The Argument from Design One of the classic arguments for the existence of God It is a posteriori and inductive Begins with two basic observations: The world seems to contain both REGULARITY and PURPOSE

2. Regularity and Purpose • Consider the regular motion of planets or the consistency of a beating heart • Very unusual for such perfect organisation to occur naturally – suggests it has been designed, and this designer could only be God • Consider also the wings of a bird or the gills of a fish • They have a specific purpose which they achieve very efficiently • Seems very unlikely they could simply have popped into existence – consider the complexity of the eye • Again – suggests they have been designed

3. Arguments FOR design vs arguments FROM design • Some arguments start by looking at the complexity in the world, eg the complexity of living beings • They argue that these observations of the world lead to the conclusion that there must be a designer - they are arguments FOR design • An alternative is to start with certain designed objects such as a watch • We then notice a certain analogy between mechanical objects and the world • So we conclude that just as the watch is designed, the world must be • This is an argument FROM design, as we start by looking at something which is designed