preview

Argument From Design Arguments

Decent Essays

In this paper I will explain the Argument from Design. From there I will address what I find to be the two best objections to the Argument from Design. Then I will explain why I do not find these arguments persuasive. The Argument from Design is based upon two basic premises. The first premise is that if something performs a function then it is a product of intelligent design and is produced by the designer in order to serve this purpose. The second premise is that the material universe also includes functional complexity that has the same features. The material universe is full of functions. If something has a function, then it must be complex. If something is complex then it must have an intelligent designer. The argument quite simply states …show more content…

Quite simply put, the first objection to the Argument from Design doesn’t account for the possibility that the intelligent designer has a higher understanding of the universe and can also understand why and how things work better than humans can. Also, it doesn’t take into account that the designer could have created the universe and placed processes such as evolution and natural selection in place as part of the universe during its creation. The intelligent designer could have created those natural processes in order to serve a specific function such as changing a species to help it to survive in the world that the intelligent designer changes on a regular basis. It could also be said that the intelligent designer could have created the universe, set these processes in play, and allowed the universe to set its own path using laws of science and natural processes to set its own course and control its own destiny. The Argument from Design says that if something is complex then it must have an intelligent designer. The first objection says that natural processes could have made these complex organisms and the complex material world that we live in today from much simpler organisms and a much simpler universe. The argument is not persuasive because an intelligent designer could have created the universe with a specific plan, set natural processes in play as part of the creation of the universe, and let …show more content…

Having a heterogeneous structure doesn’t make something complex. Mount Blanc, for example, should not be considered complex. It does have a heterogeneous structure, but it doesn’t serve a particular purpose. If the mountain was rearranged completely it would still be a mountain no matter what order its parts are in. It could have been arranged by mere chance. Living things or things that serve a purpose cannot be arranged by mere chance and still perform their function. However, the results are very different if a living thing is rearranged and its parts are put in a different order. If a living thing is rearranged, it’s not likely that it will be able to live let alone function the same. The same results of that of a living thing are applied to complex things that function. If a computer is assembled in random order by chance, the odds are astronomically low that it will function correctly if it functions at all. This same principal is applied to the natural and material world. If it was assembled by mere chance and if the parts were arranged in any different order the odds of it actually functioning correctly are astronomically low. Therefore, everything must have been designed by an intelligent designer to have the unique physics that allow them to function properly, unique parts that allow

Get Access