Hume’s objections to the Teleological Argument for God

David Hume Objections to the teleological argument

Hume remains the key critique of the design argument or teleological argument for God. His critique of the design argument can be summarised in the following points… Hume’s objections to the Teleological Argument for God a) The disproportion of the parts to the whole. If an intelligent purpose is found within the world, is it … Read more

Teleological Argument for the existence of God

Teleological Argument for Existence of God

The teleological argument for the existence of God (also known as the Design argument) moves from the world which shows evidence of intelligible order to divine intelligence as the source of that order. The idea in some form goes back to the ancient world. Plato, for example, in ancient Greece, argued that the universe does … Read more

Criticism of the Religious Experience Argument – Anthony Flew: God and Philosophy

Happy New year, Philosophers. I know it’s always tough getting back into the swing of studying after a fortnight of Christmas drinks! We are kicking off the new year with a blog on Anthony Flew: God and Philosophy. Antony Flew’s position is summarised in his book God and Philosophy i) There is a crucial ambiguity … Read more

Braithwaite – An Empiricists view on the Nature of Religion

The Non-cognitive view Taking up the challenges put down by Flew and earlier by A.J.Ayer, R.B. Braithwaite, a Cambridge professor, delivered a lecture in 1955 which became something of a classic. It was called ‘An Empiricist’s View of the Nature of Religious Belief‘. An Empiricists View of the Nature of Religious Belief In the lecture, … Read more

Descartes Meditations – What are the Main Themes in Meditations on First Philosophy

Rene Descartes was a French Philosopher famous for the Trademark argument and a version of the ontological argument. What were the main themes in the book: Descartes ‘Meditations on First Philosophy?’ The book is written from the perspective of a gender neutral narrator, originally in French. Here is a brief summary of the key ideas … Read more

Nietszche God is Dead: What was really meant by the Death of God?

Who was Nietzsche? The most popular German philosopher of the enlightenment period was Nietzsche. God is dead was his most famous and controversial statement. Nietzsche is often misunderstood as pessimistic and anti-religion, yet he is one of the most famous philosophers of all time. Nietzsche God is dead: What did Nietzsche mean when he said … Read more

What is the difference between A Priori and A Posteriori? What are analytic and synthetic statements?

What is the difference between A Priori and A Posteriori statements or arguments? A Posteriori statements are statements or truths ‘post experience’. In other words, you have to have experienced something in order to make the claim. Remember it because ‘post’ means after – after experience. A Priori Philosophical statements are based on logic A … Read more

How successful is the Teleological argument in proving the existence of God?

For many scholars, the answer to the question of the Teleological Argument comes down to probability. Which is more probable, God as a designer or the universe as ‘brute fact’? Does God Exist? Is the Teleological Argument for God’s Existence really ‘proof’? Even Hume, with all of his criticisms, accepts that the the teleological argument … Read more