AH Aquinas and Paley (Hinge)

Teleological arguments always contain... (select all that apply)

• a priori claims

• empirical premises

• analytic premises

• a posteriori claims

Why is it misleading to refer to Aquinas and Paley's arguments as 'arguments from design'?

According to Aquinas how do we know that natural bodies act with purpose?

• They always, or nearly always, act in the same way to obtain the best result

• They always act in the same way to obtain the best result

Aquinas AND Paley's arguments are...

What key premise does Aquinas use from Aristotle's thought?

• the view that human beings have a purpose

• the view that everything on Earth has a purpose

• the view that everything in the universe has a purpose

• the view that everything has a function aimed at some purpose

What analogy does Aquinas use to illustrate his argument?

• An archer must direct an arrow to its target

• A dragon must direct their fire towards a building

• A watch must be made by a watch-maker

• A flower must be positioned to face the sun.

Which of Aquinas' premises would Aristotle disagree with?

• 'things that lack intelligence, such as living organisms, have an end'

• 'anything which exhibits complex features must have been designed'

• 'things that lack intelligence cannot move toward their end unless directed by an intelligent being'

• 'things with little intelligence must be directed toward their end by something more intelligent'

What is it about the watch that demands explanation in a way a stone does not? Select all that apply.

• several parts which fit together

• several parts working to produce motion

• the intricate relation of several parts

• it looks like it's been designed

What possibility does P2 of Paley's argument reject?

• there could be multiple designers

• natural objects could arise by chance

• certain features of the world could arise by chance

• the complexity, intricacy and purpose of objects in the universe could arise by chance

Paley anticipated four objections to his argument. If successful, what damage would they do?