Argument from design facts for kids

The argument from design is an idea that suggests the universe and everything in it looks so perfectly made that it must have been created by an intelligent designer, like God. This argument is also called the teleological argument. The word "teleological" comes from an old Greek word, telos, which means "purpose" or "goal." So, it's an argument that says nature has a purpose or direction.

What is the Argument from Design?

This argument suggests that if something looks designed, it probably was. Think about a complex machine, like a watch. If you found a watch, you wouldn't think it just appeared by chance, right? You'd assume someone designed and built it. The argument from design applies this same idea to the universe.

How the Argument Works

Most classic versions of this argument, especially those linked to believing in one God, can be put simply like this:

• Things that are very complex usually need a designer.
• The universe is incredibly complex.
• Therefore, the universe must have a designer.

A Fun Example

A writer named G. K. Chesterton gave a simple and funny example in 1908: "So one elephant having a trunk was odd; but all elephants having trunks looked like a plot." He meant that if only one elephant had a trunk, it might be a strange accident. But since all elephants have trunks, it seems like it was planned that way.

Who Thought of This Idea?

The idea that the universe shows signs of design isn't new. Many thinkers throughout history have explored it.

Ancient Thinkers

Plato and Aristotle, shown here in The School of Athens, both thought about the universe's design.

• Socrates (around 469-399 B.C.) noticed how human body parts, like eyelids protecting eyeballs, seemed perfectly suited for their jobs. He thought this couldn't be by chance and showed smart planning in the universe.
• Plato (around 427–347 B.C.) wrote about a "demiurge" in his book Timaeus. This demiurge was a super-wise and intelligent being who organized the universe from existing raw materials. Plato believed there was an order and structure in the world that showed design.
• Aristotle (around 384–322 B.C.) also talked about a creator, often called the "Prime Mover" or "first mover," in his book Metaphysics. He thought that all of nature showed purpose and direction.
• Cicero (around 106–43 B.C.), a Roman thinker, also made an early argument from design. He said, "When you see a sundial or a water-clock, you see that it tells the time by design and not by chance. How then can you imagine that the universe as a whole is devoid of purpose and intelligence, when it embraces everything, including these artifacts themselves and their artificers?" He meant that if small things like clocks need a designer, the whole universe must too.

Early Christian Thinkers

• Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354–430) was an important Christian thinker. In his book City of God, he described God's plan for the world, which showed a teleological (purposeful) view. He didn't try to prove God's existence, but he assumed it and then talked about God's plan.

Why Some People Disagree

While many people find the argument from design convincing, others have raised important questions and objections.

Is Complexity Always Design?

Critics argue that just because something is complex doesn't automatically mean it was designed. For example, diamonds and snowflakes are very complex and ordered, but they form naturally through physical processes, not by a designer. They follow natural laws.

Some say that supporters of the design argument assume that natural things and man-made things are similar, so both must be designed. But different things can have similar features for different reasons. For example, stars and light bulbs both give off light, but they are made in very different ways. Critics say that to prove design, you have to show that only a designer could create such order.

Many biologists support the idea of evolution through natural selection. They believe that life's complexity can be explained by evolution, which has a lot of evidence to support it. Living things follow the same physical laws as non-living things. Over very long periods, simple things could have copied themselves and slowly become more complex, like DNA. This process doesn't need a designer.

Does It Prove God Exists?

Even if the argument from design suggests there's a powerful, intelligent designer, some argue it doesn't necessarily prove that this designer is God as many people understand God.

• The French writer Voltaire pointed out that the argument might show a skilled being made the universe, but it doesn't prove this being created matter out of nothing or is all-powerful.
• David Hume, a Scottish philosopher, also questioned if the argument proves there's only one designer. He asked, "why may not several deities combine in contriving and framing the world?"

An Endless Chain of Designers?

Critics like Richard Dawkins ask: if everything complex needs a designer, then who designed the designer? If the universe is complex and needs a designer, then the designer must be even more complex. This would lead to an endless chain of designers, which seems silly.

Are There Flaws in Nature's Design?

Some scientists argue that while the universe might seem purposeful at first, a closer look reveals things that don't seem perfectly designed. For example, predators seem designed to catch prey, but prey also seem designed to escape. This can look like a "blind" process (like natural selection) rather than a perfect plan from a designer. Critics also point to apparent flaws in organisms.

However, supporters of the design argument say that these criticisms are based on what humans think a designer should do. They argue that we don't know the designer's full plan. For example, a designer might create an ecosystem where predators and prey balance each other, even if individual animals don't seem "perfectly" designed for survival alone.

Does the Idea Make Sense?

George H. Smith, in his book Atheism: The Case Against God, argues that the design argument has a basic problem. We usually figure out if something is designed by comparing it to things that are natural. For example, a car is designed, but a mountain is natural. If we say that nature itself is designed, then we lose the way we tell the difference between designed things and natural things. He says that to claim nature was designed, you first have to believe in a supernatural designer outside of nature.

See Also

• Will Crouch, "Hume and Philo on the Teleological Argument"
• Richard Dawkins (1986) The Blind Watchmaker (takes a view against the teleological argument).
• William A. Dembski (2004) The Design Revolution. England: Intervarsity Press
• Daniel Dennett (1995). Darwin's Dangerous Idea.
• Derek Gjersen (1989). Science and Philosophy: Past and Present. London: Penguin.
• Cornelius G. Hunter (2007). "Science's Blind Spot: The Unseen Religion of Scientific Naturalism". Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press
• Eric Sotnak, "Analysis of the Teleological Argument"
• JP Moreland (1987). Scaling the Secular City: A Defense of Christianity, Chapter 2

Images for kids

• 

  The fifth of Thomas Aquinas' proofs of God's existence was based on teleology.

• 

  William Paley made the "watchmaker analogy" famous, which is a well-known argument from design.

• 

  David Hume wrote about his criticisms of the teleological argument in his Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion.

• 

  Voltaire thought that the argument from design could only suggest a powerful, but not necessarily all-powerful, intelligence.