Exploring the Teleological Argument

What does the Greek word 'Telos' mean?

• God

• Purpose

• Design

• Creation

What is the Teleological argument also commonly known as?

• The Argument from Creation

• The Argument from Purpose

• The Argument from Design

• The Argument from Reflection

Aquinas's Teleological argument is which of the following?

• a posteriori and deductive

• a posteriori and inductive

• a priori and deductive

• a priori and inductive

Which of the following statements is NOT relevant for Aquinas's Teleological argument?

• Observation that non-intelligent objects act towards a purpose

• Natural objects are not intelligent

• God being identified as being responsible for purpose and order

• The universe being infinite and has no purpose

Who were the medieval Christian thinkers that propounded the Teleological argument?

• St. Augustine of Hippo and Samuel Clarke

• St. Thomas Aquinas and William Paley

• St. Thomas Aquinas and Socrates

• Samuel Clarke and William Paley

According to the Teleological argument, what does the apparent intelligent design in the world imply?

• The existence of multiple gods

• The existence of an intelligent designer, God

• The randomness of the universe

• The absence of any purpose

Reorder the points of Aquinas's Teleological Argument

• Acting towards a purpose is characteristic of intelligence

• This intelligent being is what we call God

• Natural objects lack the ability to direct themselves towards a purpose

• Therefore, an intelligent being must be directing natural objects towards a purpose

• Natural objects act towards a purpose

How confident do you feel answering exam questions on the Cosmological Argument?

• Very unconfident

• unconfident

• neither confident nor unconfident

• confident

• very confident

What is a key difference between the Cosmological Argument and the Teleological Argument?

• One is a posteriori and the other is a priori

• One is inductive while the other is deductive

• One focuses on causation while the other focuses on purpose and apparent design in the universe

• One seeks to prove the existence of God while the other simply aims to convince us that God probably exists