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THE DESIGNARGUMENT

DESIGN ARGUMENTDESIGN ARGUMENT

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DESIGN ARGUMENT

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DESIGN

KINDS OF DESIGNORDER

*THE UNIVERSE IS ARRANGED*

Quantitative sequences (orderly arrangements)

Regularities of spatial compresence

Regularities of temporal succession

KINDS OF DESIGNPURPOSEARRANGEMENT REFLECTS A PLAN OF THE

DESIGNER

Biological vs. Nonbiological

e.g. body functions, eyes, etc. = biological

e.g. freezing point of water, answer to prayer =

nonbiological

KINDS OF DESIGNSIMPLICITYTHE UNIVERSE IS A RESULT OF A

SINGLE, RATIONAL, EFFICIENT MIND

The Grand Unified Theory = one simple theory which unifies forces

e.g. an apple falling and the galaxy rotating all because of the Law of Gravity

KINDS OF DESIGNCOMPLEXITYTHE UNIVERSE IS COMPLEX

Simple unity with complex diversity shows great design

EXAMPLES:

Snowflakes

Organic compounds and DNA

KINDS OF DESIGNBEAUTYBEAUTY POINTS TO A GRAND ARTIST

BEAUTY IN MATH POINTS TO A GRAND MIND

The world demonstrates objective beauty (e.g. sunsets)

Beauty is not necessarily connected with survival

This leads to a Creative Designer

KINDS OF DESIGNSENSE &COGNITIONWE CAN PERCEIVE AND THINK

ABOUT THE WORLD

Our senses did not evolve out of survival value

1. We don’t need to know truth from falsity to

survive

2. Senses we use to accurately think about our world go beyond what we need to survive

KINDS OF DESIGNINFORMATION

INFORMATION EXISTS OUT OF AND PRIOR TO THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE PARTS-MEANING EXISTS IN THE AUTHOR

High order, little information = snowflakes

High order, high information = living organisms, DNA

KINDS OF DESIGNCOSMICCONSTANTS*ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE*

The universe unfolded with life in mind

CONSTANTS:1. 1:1million million chance the big bang expansion rate would be accurate

2. 0.1% accuracy in material of observable universe being evenly distributed

3. No life could be possible had all the forces in the world been slightly smaller or larger

4. 1: ten billion chance of balance of matter to anti-matter

5. Only on earth is life possible and probable

6. Formation of life from non-life is 1x 1040000 chance

KINDS OF DESIGNCOSMICCONSTANTSPROPER USE OF

DATA:Christians supposedly argue that…

-It is amazing that life is here and not somewhere

else

-It is amazing that factors necessary for life came

before us instead of something else

They are really saying…

-It is amazing that life came about at all

KINDS OF DESIGNCOSMICCONSTANTS

“It is hard to resist the impression that the present structure of the universe, apparently so sensitive to minor alteration in the numbers, has been rather carefully thought out ... the seemingly miraculous concurrence of [these] numerical values must remain the most compelling evidence for cosmic design.”

- theoretical physicist Paul Davies

FORMS OF THE DESIGN ARGUMENTSYNTHETIC A PRIORI ARGUMENT

This argument takes truths, and makes logical arguments from them

e.g. “meaning and information must come from a mind” = a statement, so…

If DNA has information and meaning, it must come from a mind

FORMS OF THE DESIGN ARGUMENTARGUMENT FROM ANALOGY

Argued by generalizations

e.g. = living organisms are like machines, machines are made by a mind, so…

organisms must be made by a mind

FORMS OF THE DESIGN ARGUMENTPROBABILITY ARGUMENTS

Possibility View: outcomes must be equally possible

Frequency View: Probability statements are essentially statistical summaries

Evidential View: Focuses on how, and to what extent evidence confirms a proposition

There needs to be a plan behind the formation of bodies

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