Introduction: Looking into the Essence of the Argument
Since the dawn of the human race, people have been concerned with the existence of a supernatural being that they own their lives to. With God being the supreme creature, everything else is believed to be His doing and, therefore, having a specific purpose. The given statement, though, raises many questions concerning the purpose of the things and phenomena that are generally considered useless, as well as the things and phenomena that produce objectively deteriorating effect on the universe and its elements.
Thesis statement: Since the purpose of certain elements of the universe can be questioned or has not yet been discovered by people, it can be argued that the teleological argument should be considered the ultimate truth.
As it has been stated above, a number of objects and phenomena do not seem to have their own purpose – or, to be more exact, their purpose quite hard to define. The given state of affairs is quite natural, since people do not possess absolute knowledge. However, the absence of the necessary links between certain objects can shake one’s convictions concerning the Creationist postulates.
Taking the Argument with a Grain of Salt: Concerning the Existing Objections
To address the issue in question in the most efficient way, the existing contradictions to the teleological argument must be considered. Taking a closer look at the objections to the ideas offered above, one can see the complexity of the issue in question.
Natural selection and the existing biological complexity
The idea that every single element depends on another one and cannot work properly without it, which the teleological argument is based on, does not seem so legit when considering the fact that the process of natural selection is generally considered inadequate.
Therefore, the given idea presupposes that a number of creatures develop organs that do not seem to have any purpose or specific function in their bodies. One of the most graphic examples of the given statement is the fact that in complex organs, every element alone is useless, yet when all of them are out together, they start a clockwork process.
Where logics fails: the inconsistencies of the universe design
Another peculiar idea to be considered is Kant’s conclusion that God’s existence is not a predicate. There is no point in mentioning how many misconceptions the given statement spawned and how many of them remain unresolved even now. One of the most notorious questions is whether Kant meant predicate as a grammatical or philosophical unit (Moore).
However, the way in which Moore puts the solution to the problem, i.e., the idea that God’s existence does not add anything to the context in which people understand existence, presupposes that the existence of the rest of the objects and phenomena cannot be considered as filled with purpose.
Exploring the Links between the Elements of the Universe: Responses to the Objections
Even though the objections listed above seem quite legitimate, they can also seem doubtful when the opposing opinions are considered.
Natural selection and the existing biological complexity
Weirdly enough, natural selection can also be the proof that the teleological argument is true. As a matter of fact, even Darwin, who is believed to have shaken the postulates of theosophy with his “outrageous” idea of natural selection, agreed that some of the stages of development, like the development of separate parts of an eye, do not hold water. Therefore, it seems that the idea of everything complex developing from simpler things is not always true.
The given discovery can be interpreted from the standpoint of purpose as well: what had its purpose from the very start did not need to develop: “Typically, the proponents of ‘intelligent design’ point out that complex organs such as the eye are constructed of numerous parts, each of which appears to be useless except when working with the others. How are we to conceive of the evolution of all these parts?” (Rachels and Rachels 19). Thus, the law of natural selection works as a proof for the teleological argument.
Existence as a predicate: when two ideas collide
As for the argument that the elements of the universe cannot have a purpose since the Maker obviously does not, it can be argued that God designed the world so that its elements could have the purpose, whether he does or does not.
Conclusion: When Everything Has its Own Purpose
Judging by the arguments offered above, one can claim with sufficient amount of certainty that most of the things or phenomena that people are familiar with serve a specific purpose. Therefore, the objections against the given arguments, though reasonable, seem invalid. However, it is equally hard to confirm the given idea; since it is impossible to take account of all elements of the universe, the teleological argument is most unlikely to ever be proven. Once again, it has become clear that religious beliefs are a question of faith, not reason.
Works Cited
Moore, George Edward. “Is Existence a Predicate?” Aristotelian Society Supplementary xv(1936): 185.
Rachels, James and Stuart Rachels. Problems from Philosophy. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.