PHIL 266 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Teleological Argument, Teleology, Divine Command Theory
27 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
Teleology" comes from greek word telos" meaning end" or purpose". To give a teleological explanation of something is to describe what it does in terms of its aims or goals. Supposes many things in nature can be explained by reference to their inherent purpose. Things in nature give evidence of having been designed", rather than simply emerging by chance or at random. We can assume that a watch has a maker/designer. Thus, we can assume that things in the natural world (i. e. deer, plants, etc. ) also had a maker/designer. We know there are watches and watchmakers in our reality because we have encountered both. However, we have not encountered any form of designer" for deer or plants. Argues against teleological explanation for the existence of god. Suggests that the analogy between a watch and a deer is only as strong as the two things in comparison. The natural world has very little in common with the arti cial world.
