The Anthropic Principle

1. The Anthropic Principle Learning Objective –To analyse modern versions of the teleological argument Learning Outcomes Explain Tennant’s attempts to provide evidence of a designer You can evaluate the success of modern versions of the teleological argument

2. Recap quiz In pairs 1 What does design qua regularity mean? 2 What does design qua purpose mean? 3 What is the formal name of Aquinas’ fifth way. 4 What does an arrow not have? 5 Why did Aquinas believe it was necessary to suggest a guiding intelligence behind the natural workings of the universe? 6 What two things did Paley compare in his ‘man on a heath’ analogy? 8 Give two examples Paley used from nature.

3. Answers 1 3 A universe beyond this world where the perfect version of everything is found. 4 The world around him and the stars above 5 Unintelligent things can’t think for themselves or move towards fulfilling a useful end 6 watch and universe 7 The world appears to have been put together for a purpose 8 eye, eggs,planets

4. The Anthropic Principle Read page 14 What is the anthropic principle? Identify five key points – highlight or underline e.g.It is the newer version of the teleological argument, which accepts both Darwin’s evolutionary theory andthe existence of God

5. Summary • The argument claims the universe has been structured in such a way to enable human life to appear and be sustained • If it had been developed in a slightly different way then we wouldn’t be here!

6. Physicists agree that if there had been very small changes in the amounts/balance of hydrogen and carbon (elements that make up the universe) then the universe couldn’t have supported any life form.

7. According to the Anthropic Principle: This complexity did not come about through chance or coincidence There must be a ‘life giving factor’that lies at the centre of the whole design of the universe Supporters of the anthropic principle believe this is God

8. Supporters of the anthropic principle claim that evolution is part of God’s plan for the development of intelligent life

9. There are two forms of the anthropic principle – Brendon Carter Weak Argues that if the world were any different we would not be here Strong Argues that the world had to be as it is in order for us to be here. There must have been some built in factor which made the development of human life inevitable. This is more similar to traditional teleological arguments

10. Monday Starter taskReview knowledge and understanding Design part 2 - Paley, anthropic and challenges Write a paragraph that includes five points about the Anthropic principle – read p.28 You should have used the words: • Weak and strong – Brendon Carter • Structure • Changes • Coincidences • God’s plan

11. Tennant (1930) Believed in 3 types of natural evidence for a designer: 1: The way in which the world provides the things that are necessary for sustaining life 2: The world can be analysed in a rational manner from which we can deduce its workings 3: The progress of evolution towards the emergence of intelligent life

12. Tennant Believed that it wouldbe possible to imagine a chaotic universe However, the world is clearly not chaotic But, there is a sense of order to it, so it was designed in a way to enable the process of evolution to create intelligent life Thus, life is either, the culminationof God’s plan, or at least a stage in God’s plan for the living world

13. Tennant • Read – p.28 , p.13 of booklet • Recall – Without using your notes/books. What were Tennant’s three pieces of evidence to support the anthropic principle? Write down • Review – can you summarise each statement is one word? Write down • Revise – create a revision technique to help you remember them? Can work in pairs

14. Swinburne He points out that the order and complexity in the universe (as the Anthropic principlesuggests) cannot be explained by science Since the only alternatives to scientific explanations are personal ones then he argues that “the God hypothesis” is the most probable explanation

15. The Anthropic and Aesthetic Principles Learning Objective –To analyse modern versions of the teleological argument Learning Outcomes Know the Aesthetic Principle ExplainTennant’s attempts to provide evidence of a designer

16. StarterWhich is more beautiful? A. Natural - waterfall B. Man made – SagradaFamilia

17. Tennant and the Aesthetic argument What does aesthetic mean? The universe is beautiful at all levels – the natural world is full of beauty that humans can never copy Humans have an ability to appreciate beauty not only of the world itself but in art i.e. art, music, literature. However, he concludes: “..beauty seems to be superfluous and to have little survival value..”

18. Questions • What did Tennant mean when he claims that ‘beauty seems to be superfluous and to have little survival value’? Use pg 15 of booklet • Why does Tennant regard the appreciation of beauty as evidence of design?