M1 Unit 2 Study Guide

acute pain-a protective mechanism that alerts the individual to a condition or experiece that is immediately harmful

There are two main forms of this theory; rule utilitarianism and act utilitarianism. Rule utilitarianism judges the rightness of an action by following a set of rules. These rules are set so that they provide the best possible outcome for everyone. For example, a rule utilitarian would say it’s always wrong to lie because, in general, telling the truth brings about the optimal consequences. A utilitarian applies these rules universally and without exception.

The teleological, or design argument for the existence of God is based on the notion of telos, the end for which something has a certain structure. It is an a posteriori argument, meaning that its premise stems from things we know based upon our experiences in and of this world. Simply put, the teleological argument states that since the universe and everything in it shows consistency, order, and unity, there must be a designer. Where we see things obviously intended for a specific purpose, we can only deduct that those things were made for a reason. Just as if we were hiking in the mountains and found a cell phone, we would not assume that time and chance could produce such a thing from the surrounding natural environment because it has the clear marks of design. It has a purpose, conveys information, it is specifically complex, and scientifically, no design is considered to be spontaneous – design always implies a designer, and the more magnificent the design, the more magnificent the designer! If the entire universe shows signs of design (implying a

Have you ever witnessed such a beautiful sunset and wonder how effortlessly the orange turns into a faint tint of pink; and how perfect the sun is setting right through the center of the horizon? Or how the northern lights shine so bright? As humans, we experience some of the most magnificent natural eye catching phenomena. Being able to capture such beauty with my eyes brings up the question of how such pristine design unrolls through the universe. The teleological argument, which is an argument based on evidence of deliberate design in the natural and physical world that a God or Gods exist.

Utilitarians try and base their actions on happiness and who they are bringing the happiness too. Their goal is benefit as many people as possible. Utilitarians think morality is based on making life better by adding the good and subtracting the bad. Utilitarianism is the considered one of the best ethical theories because it works hard on making the best suited decision for any situation.

In “Does God Exist?” Nagel points out the flaws found within the three classical arguments that support God’s existence. Once again, these arguments include the cosmological argument, the ontological argument, and the argument of design. First, the cosmological argument will be discussed. Basically, the cosmological argument implies that every event was

Teleology is considering an act morally right or acceptable if it produces some desired result such as pleasure, the realization of self-interest, fame, utility, or wealth. This is broken down into two different teleological philosophies, egoism and utilitarian. Egoism is the right or acceptable behavior in terms of its consequences for the individual. Utilitarianism is following a relatively straightforward method for deciding the morally correct course of action for any particular situation. They identify all the foreseeable benefits and harms that could result from each course of action for those affected by the action, and then choose the course

McCloskey routinely refers to the cosmological and teleological arguments as believers’ “proof” of God’s existence; however, this is not an accurate statement. (McCloskey, 1968) Foreman points out in his presentation; we cannot provide certain proof of many things and just because something cannot be proven does not mean that it is not a justified belief. Rather than seeking proof of God’s existence we should find the best explanation for things. Regularly the field of science and the legal system gather multiple points that support an argument to arrive at the best explanation. (Foreman, Approaching the Question of God 's Existence, 2014)

The word teleological originates from the Greek ‘telos’ meaning end or purpose. It infers the existence of God from a particular aspect or character of the world, namely the presence of order, regularity and purpose, and thus, is most commonly known as the design argument; it postulates the idea of a designer for all that has been designed. As its name suggests, the teleological argument attempts to seek the ultimate end or purpose.

Throughout time, the question has always arose concerning the existence of God or some type of supernatural being who created the Universe. There are many arguments and explanations that explain if God truly does exist. One such explanation is the Teleological Argument, which bases its explanation of the existence of God on the design and purpose of known things. For instance, we know that there are trees and plants, and that they need sunlight and water in order to grow. Those trees and plants grow from the ground, which is part of the earth. The earth is part of the universe and God had created the universe hence God does exist. The universe works all too perfect for it to have been created in a spontaneous explosion, in it

2. To begin, I will be defining both act and rule utilitarianism. In act utilitarianism, you determine the morality of an act by measuring the pleasures and pains for a specific situation Angeles 326). Act utilitarians take into consideration only those affected in the specific situation. However, rule utilitarianism determines the morality of an act “according to the good or bad consequences that ensue from following a general moral rule of conduct…” (Angeles 326). Good examples of those general moral rules are phrases like, never steal or never tell a lie. In any situation, people can use either act or rule utilitarianism to determine the correct course of action.

Throughout the course of this essay we shall examine two of the major philosophical arguments for the existence of God. The arguments that we are going to focus on shall be the Design argument and the Ontological argument. We shall compare, evaluate and discuss both the Design (or teleological) argument for the existence of God and the Ontological Argument for the existence of God, as well as highlighting philosophical criticisms of both theories too. By doing so, we shall attempt to draw a satisfactory conclusion and aim gain a greater understanding of the respective theories and their criticisms of each theory.

The third argument of the existence of God is the ontological argument. Unlike the cosmological and the design arguments the ontological argument does not attempt to seek evidence with in our physical

Utilitarianism or utilitarian ethical approach focuses on the idea. That the best moral choice in any position is the one producing the most benefits for all involved, and the least damage. Basically, it requires weighing the outcomes of each scenario to establish the one that will create the most advantages over disadvantages. This approach can be beneficial for the interest concentrating on all the individuals in the moment. Instead of, the self-interest of one person, and it tries to pick the option that will do the most overall good.

Utilitarian Principle: The utilitarian approach judges actions based on their consequences by the amount of pleasure and pain they bring upon. Hence, the action that brings the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people should be chosen. Here, we should ask ourselves which alternative would maximize utility