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argument from design

   Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.

argument from design

 or teleological argument

Argument for the existence of God. According to one version, the universe as a whole is like a machine; machines have intelligent designers; like effects have like causes; therefore, the universe as a whole has an intelligent designer, which is God. The argument was propounded by medieval Christian thinkers, especially St. Thomas Aquinas, and was developed in great detail in the 17th and 18th centuries by writers such as Samuel Clarke (1675–1729) and William Paley. It was powerfully criticized by David Hume in his Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Immanuel Kant also rejected the argument. In the late 20th century the argument was revived as the doctrine of intelligent design. See also creationism.
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Even a fairly conservative approach to interpreting Scripture could allow that, while an argument from design is not a scientific proof, it need not be inconsistent with science.
What's scientific about it? Why intelligent design belongs in social ... by Boler, John / Commonweal
The argument from design is indeed very old and illustrates how pro-scientific people constructed explanations of the cosmos that reflect their own experience as intelligent agents.
Intelligent design: creationsim's Trojan horse: a conversation with ... by Church & State
14) Though written long centuries ago in the light of the best scientific knowledge of their time, these critical reflections on the deeper significance of nature "have an amazing contemporary relevance" (15) to the recent remarkable revival of the argument from design in modern science and philosophy.
Taskhir, fine-tuning, intelligent design and the scientific ... by Setia, Adi / Islam & Science
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