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Examine the Key Features of the Teleological Argument?

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Examine the key features of the Teleological argument.

The word teleological comes from the Greek word ‘Telos’ which means purpose. The teleological argument is a posteriori and like the cosmological argument, attempts to prove the existence of God. It claims that certain phenomena within the universe appear to display features of design and are perfectly adapted to fulfil their function. Therefore, if features of the universe are so perfectly designed, for example the structure and function of the heart, then there must be a designer, which points towards the existence of God.

The teleological argument is based around the idea that the universe in some way demands the existence of an intelligent being that designed the universe to …show more content…

The Anthropic argument also features in the design argument and is similar to Paleys analogy. It looks at the purposes that every part of the world has (for example trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen that we breathe) and from these purpose-serving things in the world, the argument states it was placed there by a creator to serve this purpose. Tennant argued:
“The many accidents of physics and astronomy have worked together to our benefit and shows that in some sense the universe must have seen us coming”. Examine the strengths and weakness of the Teleological argument.

A major strength of the teleological argument is that it is logical. The design of the universe is apparent and evident for everyone to see, and everyone can appreciate that such beauty and design which the universe possesses requires a constant effort and input of energy to make it and keep it so.
Richard Swinburne argued that the design and precision of the universe cannot be explained by science, and can only be explained in terms of the purposes of an intelligent being: God. He argues; “Of course there is order in the world: if there were not order, humanity would not exist to discover it!”

As order is existent in the universe, the simplest explanation is God, and God is also the best explanation for the universe’s order. An additional Strength of the teleological argument is

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