PHL100Y1 Lecture 26: 26 Paley
Document Summary
Russel: if one thing can be without cause, why god: it seems far more plausible that this single un-caused thing is not god. But what does plausible actually mean : argument from design. Makes due arguments like the rabbit has a white tail to be easy to shoot , or the nose is designed perfectly to suit glasses . Inference to the best explanation: given an explanation is the best, we infer that it must be true. Best explanation for universal harmony: an intelligent creator. Russel: actually, here"s a better explanation the earth wasn"t made perfectly for us, we were adapted/formed to be perfect for the earth. Argument via rules of analogy (via hume: since man creates functional things; the world has the same sort of functionality. Therefore, the world is created by something with a similar mind as has man.
