The Anthropic Principle: The Argument For The Balance Between Science And Religion

William Paley’s argument from design starts off with a man seeing a watch on the side of the road. The argument is whether or not someone designed the watch, or if the watch randomly just showed up there itself by random chance. He makes an analogy of watches and humans. He says that since there is a designer that made the watch, there must be a designer that made us humans. The reason that he compares watches to humans is that is because they are both complex and have parts that work very well together. He says that the designer for humans is God. I think the analogy does a great job of showing that humans have a designer, but I disagree with the argument that it shows that God created us.

After reading The Teleological Argument, William Paley’s conclusion is straightforward and can be stated in just two words: God exists. His entire argument is based on a watch and is used as a means to prove God’s existence. As simple as a watch may seem, Paley describes its complexity and claims that a higher power had to have created its intelligent design. But how does he know that God designed the watch and a man didn’t? Paley argues that we have never seen a watch been made and that we are all incapable of designing something so unique and intelligent; therefore, we can conclude that something greater than us must have created it. However, before he claims who or what designed the watch, Paley says that we all can agree on at least one

The anomaly that is the Earth works in strange ways, while failing to balance on one foot all one has to do is place one finger on the wall and you are safe from crashing to the ground. This phenomenon seems to suggest that all things are connected; however there is a delicate balance to be maintained. Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection proposes that there is a balance that allows for the life on Earth to maintain the equilibrium of evolution. On the other hand, Francis Bacon composed an idea of the levels of the mind called the four idols which obstructed the path for scientific reasoning and observation. Together, Bacon and Darwin make up the dream team of the scientific world. Bacon’s four idols can be related to Darwin’s natural selection by: the idol of the tribe as the opinion of natural selection, the idol of cave relates to the impact natural selection has on man, the third idol, the marketplace, reflects the conversation about natural selection, and the idol is theater is the idea that natural selection suggests to the public.

Paley gives the example of the watch being complex, so it must have a creator. Things can be complex, without having a designer, for example a snowflake. If we were created by an intelligent designer, then why are we not perfect? If God created us, then why do babies die young? Why do natural disasters kill millions and millions of people? God is meant to be omniscient and benevolent, yet why does he let these atrocities take place. Even if there was an intelligent designer that created us and our universe, what evidence is there to show that it’s God. Based on past experience we know that a watch will have been designed by a human, however we have no past experiences of a universe being created by an intelligent designer. Even though it is extremely unlikely that a watch could have been created by random chance, it is still not impossible; there is still the slightest chance that this could happen.

The debate of Naturalism versus Christian Views is a topic that garners a lot of attention, especially in scientific endeavors. Naturalism beliefs stem from the view that through scientific investigation you can discover how natural laws or forces operate in the world through evolution over time. On the other hand, Christians believe that God is in control of the universe and that He created humans with a body and a soul allowing a consciousness to be present during mental activities. When looking at this debate the questions that need to be asked is “What is a soul” and “Are thoughts and brain activity the same thing”?

According to William Paley’s argument in “The Teleological Argument" everything was created for a specific purpose. Paley uses the watch and mentions its maker to compare the creation of the world and God. In order to explain why certain objects have a specific design and purpose, Paley uses the watch to develop this idea. According to Paley, the watch has many intricate parts which contribute not only to the overall design but to the overall function of the watch. This can be compared to God and how he created each individual to serve a purpose. Paley mentions that the watch is intricate and complex, which can mean that the creation of the world is also a complex and difficult concept. Even though the creator of the watch is unknown, someone

“The Perils of Obedience”, written by Stanley Milgram in 1973, explores how her experiment demonstrated people’s affinity to obey orders even if it means someone will get hurt. Milgram is a leading social psychologist who disproved previously considered notions about obedience and authority. Her work demonstrates how obedience trumps morality and gives support for this phenomena with examples from history. By using different participants’ reactions, the author is able to analyze the meaning behind the experiment.

The debater that I have chosen is Professor Richard Dawkins. The reason I choose Professor Richard Dawkins is because I think that how he presented his points and views was very convincing. He pointed out that “humans have the desire to worship something when they admire the beauty of nature in the video”. He also mentioned that religion is a barrier to science that offers a better reasoning on how things work. With science, we all know how the universe and how living things came along. When we find a new problem or we have something to question about, science pushes us to have the curiosity to want to find out the answer, but with religion we use God as an excuse to solve the problem. For example, when we want to know why landscapes and shaped

Paley depicted the design argument about existence of God. As indicated by Paley, the deduction from the observation of the unpredictable design of the universe to the conclusion of a universe-maker who developed and designed its utilization would be inevitable. He contends generally as the capacity and intricacy of a watch suggests a watch-maker, so in like manner the capacity and multifaceted nature of the universe infers the existence of a universe-maker. Paley attempted to accommodate the clear savagery and lack of concern of nature with his belief in a decent God, lastly reasoned that the delights of life essentially exceeded its distresses. Where Darwin withdrew from Paley was in his concept of natural choice as a procedure that could create adaptation and design without the comprehensive mediation of a benevolent

David Abram’s book, “The Spell of the Sensuous” is an exploration of the relationship between humans and the Earth. His philosophical viewpoints are biased, which gives the reader room for interpretation and argumentation. In an unknown author’s analyses of this piece, he/she firmly agrees with Abram’s “strong denunciation of the Western worldview” (1), but rejects Abram’s negative views about the hard sciences, and proposes strong arguments for each of those perspectives.

The Intelligent design proponents’ arguments are full of scientific fallacies- such as the idea that nothing can explain creation but God. Genuine science accepts new ideas, even if they conflict with prior theories- it does not stand stubbornly with its claim, refusing to accept an alternative. Intelligent design finds its origins in the bible- a book which Christians say to be written towards the beginning of time. 400 years ago, any woman with red hair, green eyes, or a wild personality was burned at the stake for being a witch. That’s where science was at 400 years ago. Where was science at 2000 years ago? I’m not sure it’s safe to say that what’s written in the bible should be taken with absolute scientific

Critics often dismiss creationism as a hoax that lacks serious thought and accreditation from accomplished scientists. However, several well-respected scientists agree with the theory of creationism as a rational explanation for the

Anthropocentrism also referred to as human-centeredness, is an individualistic approach, a concept stating that humans are more valuable, and the environment is only useful for sustaining the lives of human beings (MacKinnon, 2007). The practise of human-centeredness is associated with egocentrism (Goodpaster, 1979), by contrast non-anthropocentrism is a holistic approach

Science and religion has always been an argument for years. I think science and religion are both very important to the way of life and how we see the entire universe. But I believe religion is more believable than science. For science can be proven wrong at any given time and religion can never be stated untrue. Such as the story of creation, evolution, practices and beliefs can contradict these theories.

Naturalism proposes that life begins with a stream of purposeless force—the big bang[1]. The big bang is treated by scientists as the beginning of space and time. Planets, lives are the natural results of big bang. According to Charles Darwin, the advocate of evolution, evolution processes, including the beginning of the universe, occurred accidentally, meaning that everything we see and we have today is an enormous accident. All the naturally occurring incidents are merely the results of accidents, with nearly no special meaning. Naturalists as a result further interpret that lives of human beings serve the same purpose as their origins—human beings are to no avail.