Chapter 1
In: The Devil’s Advocate versus God’s Honest Truth
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Abstract
This chapter kicks off the initiative with an examination of the teleological argument for the existence of God. This type of argument infers the existence of God from the appearance of order with the manifestation of purpose, in other words, from the observation that reality is structured and systematic rather than random or chaotic. The reasoning process proceeds from the appearance of design or regularity to the existence of a designer or regulator. The basic strategy is to show that neither random chance nor physical necessity (natural developments that could not possibly have unfolded in any other way) provides a plausible explanation for the observed design or regularity. The essence of the argument, though admitting of variation, can be summarized as follows: (P1) The universe exhibits patterns and systems of functional complexity on both microscopic and macroscopic scales, ranging from the interaction of subatomic particles to the formation of galactic superclusters, and resulting in the inception of life somewhere in between. (P2) The functional complexity under consideration is not likely to have emerged on its own without external intervention. (C) Therefore, the observed patterns and systems point to the existence of a rational agent of superlative powers responsible for the prevailing structure. Put simply, apparent design suggests an intelligent designer, though the argument comes with strategic variations and supposed complications, all examined in the context of the relevant discussion.