Saturday, April 02, 2005

The origins of Intelligent Design in the Teleological Argument

This first link is the original formulation of the teleological argument from William Paley's Natural Theology, 1800. This passage is the famous one concerning the "Clockmaker God". David Hume quickly responded with his Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, which is covered in the second link. It always surprises me that this argument is still coming up in both pop-culture and academia. In pop-culture, the debate in the schools is a good example. Academics proposing the argument are now rogue biologists instead of philosophers. The argument still exists in Philosophy, but, in my opinion it has not progressed. I will discuss them in my next post. Right now, I am primarily working to research:

1. The current dialogue within society.
2. My background in philosophy.
3. How these too strands relate and demonstrate the evolution of how creation is discussed.

I am considering all of this background research. Before I pursue new directions, I feel it is important to articulate my current perspective.

Paley's formulation of the teleological argument:
Paley's formulation of the teleological argument: "But suppose I had found a watch upon the ground, and it should be inquired how the watch happened to be in that place, I should hardly think of the answer which I had before given, that for anything I knew the watch might have always been there. Yet why should not this answer serve for the watch as well as for the stone?"

David Hume on the Cosmological and Teleological Arguments
David Hume on the Cosmological and Teleological Arguments: "The Dialogues are considered by many to have provided a definitive critique of the argument from design."

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