Philosophy Final: The Nature and Existence of God

Problem of evil

If God is all powerful, all knowing and all loving why would he allow evil to happen if he knows it's going to happen and has the power to stop it. How can evil be created by a creator who is all good? - Russell. Evil is unnecessary suffering if we have the God we say we do.

Product vs. Process

Intelligent design advocates exploit the uncertainty between process and product that is built into the word "design." For them the presence of a finished product (a fully evolved eye, for example) is evidence of an intelligent design process. Don't confuse the two. Ex: colored objects are composed of atoms that are not themselves colored.

Scopes Monkey Trial and the US Constitution

John Scopes, teacher in Tennessee, arrested for teaching evolution, significant because clash between religion and science world (logics). Clash between what you teach in the class and US constitution, freedom of speech. Whether John Scopes would be permitted to teach Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in the Tennessee public schools.

Faith as Vice

"I think faith is a vice, because faith means believing in a proposition when there is no good reason for believing it"

Cosmological Argument

( a posteriori) made famous by St. Thomas Aquinas establishes his famous "five ways" by which the existence of God can be established. Based on arguments about motion and cause. There must be a first-mover, implies an unmoved mover, a mover that is not itself moved by something else (God). A series of caused causes implies a first cause. God is the unmoved mover and first cause. Recognized by Pope Leo VIII in 1879 as official theology of the church.

Teleological argument (arg. From design)

(A posteriori argument-based on observation, experience) William Paley compared God and the universe to a watch and a watchmaker, there is no design without a designer. We must conclude, since the universe exhibits order and design, that the universe like the watch also has a creator, which is God. Argument from analogy because it relies on the comparison between man made objects and various things in the natural world.

Theodicy

(a simple answer to the problem of evil) God gives you the power to choose good or evil, but only really defends the standard evil (not natural disasters). Defense of God in the face of evil

Deism vs. Theism

Deism sees God as a non-interventionist, not a cosmic supervisor that controls the world. Miracles and praying make no sense because the natural world is set in motion by laws of nature. Set during the age of reason and science (the enlightenment). Theism is the complete opposite, considers God proactive and paternalistic. Theism believes that rewards, punishments and miracles are God driven. They believe he is (omnipotent: all powerful), (omni-benevolent: all loving), (omniscient: all knowing).

Ontological Argument

originated by Saint Anselm, deductive proof that proceeds from the premise that God (is by definition) the being greater thaw home none other can be conceived, with the conclusion that God therefore must exist. Don't need any evidence/observation to proof this. We can prove or deduce the existence of God from the definition of God alone. (Characteristics: A Priori argument, meaning it is independent of experience, reason alone) Gaunilo→ what about the perfect island

Dennett and Science

Dennett believes in evolution and states that the "intelligent design" theory just relies on the teleological argument by Paley. Daniel Dennett believes ID offers no science or explanation, no evidence, no content= no controversy to teach about in biology class. ID explains nothing, it is an empty theory. By looking at the product itself, cannot explain the process. Dennett counter-attacks the arg. from design related to the eye by saying "How can we explain the miracle of the human eye with all its complex design and engineering? Answer: Genes".

Dennett and the Human eye

Dennett states that the eye also has a design flaw that the retina is inside out creating a blind spot, and no intelligent creator would make such a clumsy error.

Why does the universe exist at all?

First cause. God is not an ultimate explanation for this question, more of an inspiration. Cosmological

God's Attributes

God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omni-benevolent

Colin McGinn

He is a British philosopher and anti-theist that doesn't believe in God. Believes the ontological argument is wrong because it is inconceivable, too abstract, and incoherent. It is nonsense.

Accident/Chance

The teleological argument believes that it is impossible for order and design to be products of chance

2 Problems of God

1.) How do we know that X (God) exists? 2.) Given that X (God) exists, why does evil exist?

A priori vs. A posteriori

A priori is independent of experience, it is deductive in we know something through its definition, analytical. A posteriori differs in that it is empirical ("after experience") it is by observation and experiment.

Circular reasoning

Believing in God because it says he exists over and over again in the bible. A logical fallacy the reasoner begins with what they are trying to end with.

Faith vs. Knowledge

Believing in God is a matter of faith and not a matter of knowledge; the most important belief is not part of our knowledge in the strongest sense.

Evidence

Bertrand Russell, says that if there is a God, he did not provide conclusive evidence of his existence.

Cosmic Teapot

Bertrand Russell, teapot orbiting around sun. Cannot prove that teapot doesn't exist. Nature of evidence or Burden of proof placed on person who believes the teapot (God) exists. Cannot prove the non-existence of something.

Darwin's theory of evolution

Body adjusts to changes in environment. Ex: giraffes have long necks to eat leaves from tall trees. The features that are advantageous will be genetically transmitted more often because the organisms that have those differences will survive and reproduce more. Natural Selection

Survival Value

Connected to natural selection, Darwinian idea, the reasons we have the features we do is for survival.

Creationism

Creationist advocated for a literal reading of the Bible's account of creation. Describe this creation in a time frame of several thousand years. Have argued on religious and even scientific grounds, believing close scientific look will favor their views. Anti-evolutionist.

Purpose/Function

Nature seems to embody purpose

Secular Humanism

Rejecting belief in anything supernatural and embracing reason as the foundation of knowledge and morality

Bertrand Russell

SHOW ME THE EVIDENCE. An atheist- someone who believes that there is no God. Cosmic teapot. Arguing that he has yet to find any coherent reason to think that there is or could be the sort of being people seem to have in mind when they claim to believe in the existence of God. Agnostic position- a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience. If there is a God, must think of him as a universal God. States that people believe in God because it's advantageous- "will belief have good social consequences?" Most important virtue is veracity (truthfulness). Believes faith is a vice because faith means believing a proposition when there is no good reason for believing it. Says that it is difficult to consider God to be omnipotent (all power) and not have done better. Suffering could not be a sign of sin- six-year-old son. We don't know whether everything has a cause. Believe God is a fiend to create this world with such evil. Not impressed by results, if God is real. Evidence in article to suggest that he is a physicalist (position that physical/chemical matter exists and nothing more. We should not be proud of evolution- tapeworms. God is partly good and bad likes poetry and war. Conscience varies. Moral law is entirely temporary, accidental, and dependent upon the circumstances in which you are brought up. Does not find moral sense to be great because people have opposing beliefs of what is good. Says that if there is a God, he did not provide conclusive evidence of his existence. May be a non-omnipotent God. Believes in rational thinking.

Naturalism vs. Supernaturalism

Supernaturalism is the concept of God, beyond rational/logic/scientific (Ex: ghosts). Naturalism just believes in one world, everything is natural. Rational/ scientific thinking, however not just picking on God.

Intelligent Design

They argue that an adequate account of the workings of nature cannot be given without the hypothesis that some of its intricate workings were designed. Most design theorists (ID supporters) believe in natural selection and evolution but believe that those mechanisms cannot all by themselves account for all of nature, in other words some intricate workings were designed. They are also mute on who or what the designer is. They argue that the hypothesis of design is like any other scientific hypothesis, to be confirmed or rejected on the basis of scientific evidence.

Rational thinking

We should learn to form our beliefs rationally. Try to reach the basic conclusions on the evidence and not allow our desires or likes to interfere.

Teleology

an explanation of phenomena by the purpose they serve rather than by the causes, telos=goal or purpose, Aristotle's point of view that explains nature in term of purpose, goals, and aims. Ex: heart pumping blood to organs, that's its job

Natural Evil

earthquakes, floods, and natural disasters: human agency has no bearing

Empirical Evidence

evidence from observations

Francis Crick

evolutionist who marvels the process of natural selection. mocks ID believer William Dembski with this