The Teleological Argument for God Part 2
1) The Argument
A) If the universe evinces purposeful design, there must have been a designer.
B) The universe does evince purposeful design.
C) Thus, the universe must have had a designer.
2) Defense of the Argument
A) Premise A
1) This is a logical and reasonable statement.
2) It is more plausibly true then its counterpart that if the universe evinces
purposeful design, there must not have been a designer.
3) Design implies a designer.
4) This is usually not the objection to the argument. Most rational persons
will conceded this first premise.
B) Premise B
1) This is where most of the objections come from.
2) From Richard Dawkins book “The Blind Watchmaker”:
“There may be good reasons for belief in God, but the argument
from design is not one of them...[D]espite all appearances to the
contrary, there is no watchmaker in nature beyond the blind forces
of physics...Natural selection, the unconscious, automatic, blind yet
essentially nonrandom process that Darwin discovered, and that we
now understand to be the explanation for the existence and form
of all life, has no mind’s eye, It does not plan for the future. It has
no vision, no foresight, no sight at all. If it can be said to play the
role of watchmaker in nature, it is the blind watchmaker.”
3) The disagreement between the theist and atheist is not whether design
demands a designer. Rather, the point of contention is whether or not
there is design in nature adequate to substantiate the conclusion that
a designer does, in fact, exist.
4) We can infer design by the universal constants that are observed in nature.
How did these come about? These had to be in place before anything could
begin. (Look at the bottom of the post, there are 33)
5) We can infer design from the universe itself.
a) The universe is tremendously large. Even though its outer limits
have not been measured, it is estimated to be as much as 20 billion
light years in diameter. There are an estimated 1 billion galaxies in
the universe, and an estimated 25 sextillion stars. The Milky Way
Galaxy consists of over 100 billion stars, and is so large that even
traveling at the speed of light it would require 100,000 years to cross.
b) The sun converts 8 million tons of matter into energy every second
and has an interior temperature of more than 20 million degrees. It
also produces intense radiation, which, in certain amounts, can be
deadly to living things.
c) The earth is located at exactly the correct distance from the Sun to
receive the proper amount of heat and radiation to sustain life. The
earth is located 93 million miles from the sun. This distance is just
right to help stop the destructive pressure waves given off by the sun
as it converts matter to energy. If we were 10% closer, life could
not survive because of the intense heat and pressure. If we were 10%
farther away, too little heat would be absorbed.
d) We receive some protection from the sun’s radiation because in one
of the layers of the atmosphere, there is a special form of oxygen known
as ozone, which filters out most of the ultraviolet rays from the sun. In
addition, the sun constantly sends out an invisible wind that is
composed of protons and electrons. These particles approach the earth
at extremely high speeds. Fortunately, most of these particles are
reflected back into space because the earth acts like a giant magnet
and pushes these particles away.
e) The earth is rotating on its axis at 1,000 miles per hour at the equator
and is moving around the sun at 7,000 miles per hour, while the sun
and solar system are moving through space at 600,000 miles per
hour. This rotation provides period of light and darkness which is
necessary to life to exist. If the earth were rotating much faster,
fierce cyclones would stir over the earth like a kitchen food mixer.
If the earth turned slower, the days and nights would be impossibly hot
or cold.
f) The earth’s orbit is not a perfect circle, but is elliptical. This means that
sometimes the earth is closer to the sun than at other times. In January,
the earth is closest to the sun; in July, it is the farthest away. When it is
closer, the earth speeds up to avoid being pulled into the sun, when it is
farthest away, it slows down so that it remains in position.
g) The earth moves in its orbit around the sun, it departs from a straight
line by only one-ninth of an inch every eighteen miles. If it departed by
one-eight of an inch, we would come so close to the sun that we would
be incinerated; if it departed by one-tenth of an inch, we would find
ourselves so far from the sun that we would all freeze to death.
h) The earth is poised at about 240,000 miles from the moon. The moon
helps control the movement of the ocean tides. This movement is very
beneficial to life on earth. Without it the oceans would stagnate, and
the animals and plants would perish. The existence of life on the earth
depends greatly on the tides, which help to balance the delicate food
chain. If the moon were moved just 5% closer to the earth, the tides
would reach about 30-50 feet higher and cover most of the earth.
i) Water covers about 72% of the earths surface. This is good because
the oceans provide a reservoir of moisture that constantly evaporates
and condenses. This motion of water causes rain to fall upon the
earth. Water also heats and cools at a much slower rate than solid
land mass, which explains why desert regions can be blistering hot
in the daytime and freezing at night. Water, however, holds its
Temperature longer, and provides a sort of natural heating/air-
conditioning system for the earth. Temperature extremes would
be much more erratic if it were not for the fact that the earth’s
surface were not covered with 4/5ths water. Also, humans and
animals inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide while plants
inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. We depend upon the
of plants for our oxygen, yet we often fail to realize that
approximately 90% of our oxygen comes from microscopic plants
in the seas. If the oceans were any smaller, we would be out of air
to breath.
j) The statistical improbability of the universe just happening by blind
chance is staggering. The odds of such an event happening has been
estimated at about 1 in 10 to the 1000th power. That is a one followed
by 1000 zeroes. Mathematicians say that anything at 1 in 10 to the 50th
power and above is impossible to come to pass. “Astronomy leads us
to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one
with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions
Required to permit life, and one which has an underlying plan.”
6) Fine tuning of the universe from the beginning
a) Due to either law, chance, or design
b)Not due to law or chance
c) Therefore it is due to design.
d) Constants of nature
1) When the laws of nature are expressed as mathematical
equations, you find appearing in them certain constants
which are the same across the board. Law of gravity.
F=Gx(M1xM2)divided by R squared
G will always be the same and is independent from the
laws of nature.
2) They were put in at the creation and are contingent.
3) It has been estimated that if the constant for gravity
were changed by 1 part in 10 to the 100th power, life
could not exist in this universe.
e) Arbitrary quantities
1) These are the initial conditions that are just put in at
the beginning of the universe on which the laws of
nature then operate.
2) Example is the low amount of entropy that was put in at
the beginning of the universe as an initial condition.
3) The ratio of matter to anti-matter was put into the universe.
f) Scientists have shown that these initial conditions and constants
must have been fined tuned to incomprehensible precision in order
for this universe to exist and also to permit life to exist within it.
g) Used to think that no matter what the initial conditions were, given
enough time, they would come into alignment and allow life to exist.
h) Some estimates indicate that there are over 100 of these initial
conditions within the universe.
i) In order for them all to align so that the universe could be life
permitting could not have been by chance.
j) Probability
1) Probability is defined as the chance or likelihood that a
certain event will happen.
2) Again, mathematicians estimate that any thing with odds
greater than 1 in 10 to the 50th power are not possible. The
odds of all the initial conditions to come into existence by
chance at the same time and in the right dimensions are about
1 in 10 to the1000th power.
3) Example: The fine-tuning that we see in the universe is
comparable to randomly throwing a dart the entire breath
of the universe and hitting a target 1" in diameter.
4) Example: The range for this to happen is so infinitesimal
that if you had a radio dial the breath of the universe, you would
have a range of 2 centimeters to dial in the station.
5) Example: If you had to pull a white ball out of a tank filled
with 100,000 black balls in order for you to continue to live,
would you even speculate that you could. How about having
to do this, say, 100 times in a row. How confident would you
be in that venture? Would anyone bet on you?
5) Is it plausible and reasonable to conclude that it happened by
chance? No, in any other instance this would be impossible
and would never be given a second thought.
7) Self-sustaining earth
a) Water cycle
1) We all have studied this fact of nature.
2) Water, in liquid form, evaporates due to the heat of the sun.
As it rises into the air, the higher it gets the cooler it becomes
since the air is cooler the higher you get.
3) As the water vapor rises it begins to condense on minuet
particles in the air and starts to turn back into water.
4) As the water accumulates on the particle, it begins to
increase in weight and eventually falls back to earth in
the form of rain.
5) The rain falls to the ground and accumulates in pools and
streams, rivers, lakes, and the ocean.
6) Then the process starts all over again.
7) With this, the earth is constantly replenishing and cleaning
its water supply.
8) How has this come about? What natural mechanism would
account for such a principle? None, the only logical and
plausible reason is design.
b) Breathable air
1) The earth has a unique way of producing life sustaining
air for all living things.
2) As you know, We all need oxygen in order to survive.
3) Have you ever wondered why we never run out?
4) It comes from the plants. In fact about 90% of it comes
from the small plant life in the oceans.
5) The plants give off the oxygen we need to sustain life,
in turn, we give off carbon dioxide which the plants “breath”.
6) If this process did not occur, life on earth would have ceased
to exist long ago.
7) Was this just by chance? Again, what would be the mechanism
that would put this interaction into place?
c) The food chain
1) Plants use the sun and nutrients from the soil as “food”.
2) Animals (herbivores) eat these plants for their nourishment.
3) In turn, animals (omnivores and carnivores) eat these herbivores
for their nourishment.
4) Once the herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores excrete their
waste, it is now time for the bacteria and things to have their fill.
They reduce the waste into nutrients for the plants to consume.
5) The process starts all over again.
6) This is a very simple explanation of the food chain, but it shows
the self-sufficient nature of the earth.
UNIVERSAL CONSTANTS
1. Strong nuclear force constant:
if larger: no hydrogen would form; atomic nuclei for most life-essential elements would be unstable; thus, no life chemistry;
if smaller: no elements heavier than hydrogen would form: again, no life chemistry
2. Weak nuclear force constant:
if larger: too much hydrogen would convert to helium in big bang; hence, stars would convert too much matter into heavy elements making life chemistry impossible;
if smaller: too little helium would be produced from big bang; hence, stars would convert too little matter into heavy elements making life chemistry impossible
3. Gravitational force constant:
if larger: stars would be too hot and would burn too rapidly and too unevenly for life chemistry;
if smaller: stars would be too cool to ignite nuclear fusion; thus, many of the elements needed for life chemistry would never form
4. Electromagnetic force constant:
if greater: chemical bonding would be disrupted; elements more massive than boron would be unstable to fission;
if lesser: chemical bonding would be insufficient for life chemistry
5. Ratio of electromagnetic force constant to gravitational force constant:
if larger: all stars would be at least 40% more massive than the Sun; hence, stellar burning would be too brief and too uneven for life support;
if smaller: all stars would be at least 20% less massive than the Sun, thus incapable of producing heavy elements
6. Ratio of electron to proton mass:
if larger: chemical bonding would be insufficient for life chemistry;
if smaller: same as above ratio of number of protons to number of electrons
7. Ratio of number of protons to number of electrons:
if larger: electromagnetism would dominate gravity, preventing galaxy, star, and planet formation;
if smaller: same as above
8. Expansion rate of the Universe:
if larger: no galaxies would form
if smaller: Universe would collapse, even before stars formed entropy level of the Universe
9. Entropy level of the Universe:
if larger: stars would not form within proto-galaxies;
if smaller: no proto-galaxies would form
10. Mass density of the Universe:
if larger: overabundance of deuterium from big bang would cause stars to burn rapidly, too rapidly for life to form;
if smaller: insufficient helium from big bang would result in a shortage of heavy elements
11. Velocity of light:
if faster: stars would be too luminous for life support;
if slower: stars would be insufficiently luminous for life support
12. Initial uniformity of radiation:
if more uniform: stars, star clusters, and galaxies would not have formed;
if less uniform: Universe by now would be mostly black holes and empty space
13. Average distance between galaxies:
if larger: star formation late enough in the history of the Universe would be hampered by lack of material
if smaller: gravitational tug-of-wars would destabilize the Sun’s orbit
14. Density of galaxy cluster:
if denser: galaxy collisions and mergers would disrupt the sun’s orbit
if less dense: star formation late enough in the history of the universe would be hampered by lack of material
15. Average distance between stars:
if larger: heavy element density would be too sparse for rocky planets to form
if smaller: planetary orbits would be too unstable for life
16. Fine structure constant (describing the fine-structure splitting of spectral lines):
if larger: all stars would be at least 30% less massive than the Sun
if larger than 0.06: matter would be unstable in large magnetic fields
if smaller: all stars would be at least 80% more massive than the Sun
17. Decay rate of protons:
if greater: life would be exterminated by the release of radiation
if smaller: Universe would contain insufficient matter for life
18. 12C to 16O nuclear energy level ratio:
if larger: Universe would contain insufficient oxygen for life
if smaller: Universe would contain insufficient carbon for life
19. Ground state energy level for 4He:
if larger: Universe would contain insufficient carbon and oxygen for life
if smaller: same as above
20. Decay rate of 8Be:
if slower: heavy element fusion would generate catastrophic explosions in all the stars
if faster: no element heavier than beryllium would form; thus, no life chemistry
21. Ratio of neutron mass to proton mass:
if higher: neutron decay would yield too few neutrons for the formation of many life-essential elements
if lower: neutron decay would produce so many neutrons as to collapse all stars into neutron stars or black holes
22. Initial excess of nucleons over anti-nucleons:
if greater: radiation would prohibit planet formation
if lesser: matter would be insufficient for galaxy or star formation
23. Polarity of the water molecule:
if greater: heat of fusion and vaporization would be too high for life
if smaller: heat of fusion and vaporization would be too low for life; liquid water would not work as a solvent for life chemistry; ice would not float, and a runaway freeze-up would result
24. Supernovae eruptions:
if too close, too frequent, or too late: radiation would exterminate life on the planet
if too distant, too infrequent, or too soon: heavy elements would be too sparse for rocky planets to form
25. White dwarf binaries:
if too few: insufficient fluorine would exist for life chemistry
if too many: planetary orbits would be too unstable for life
if formed too soon: insufficient fluorine production
if formed too late: fluorine would arrive too late for life chemistry
26. Ratio of exotic matter mass to ordinary matter mass:
if larger: universe would collapse before solar-type stars could form
if smaller: no galaxies would form
27. Number of effective dimensions in the early Universe:
if larger: quantum mechanics, gravity, and relativity could not coexist; thus, life would be impossible
if smaller: same result
28 Number of effective dimensions in the present Universe:
if smaller: electron, planet, and star orbits would become unstable
if larger: same result
29. Mass of the neutrino:
if smaller: galaxy clusters, galaxies, and stars would not form
if larger: galaxy clusters and galaxies would be too dense
30. Big bang ripples:
if smaller: galaxies would not form; Universe would expand too rapidly:
if larger: galaxies/galaxy clusters would be too dense for life; black holes would dominate; Universe would collapse before life-site could form
31. Size of the relativistic dilation factor:
if smaller: certain life-essential chemical reactions will not function properly
if larger: same result
32. Uncertainty magnitude in the Heisenberg uncertainty principle:
if smaller: oxygen transport to body cells would be too small and certain life-essential elements would be unstable
if larger: oxygen transport to body cells would be too great and certain life-essential elements would be unstable
33. Cosmological constant:
if larger: Universe would expand too quickly to form solar-type stars (see: “Evidence for the Fine-Tuning of the Universe”).
No comments:
Post a Comment