Old Design Argument

The Mind and the Machine : A Critical Account of Old Design Theory

Basic Teleological Assumptions of Classical Design Theory

The Old School of Intelligence Design presupposes the existence of an intellectual being behind the creation of the universe . Through inference , it often acts as a proof in support of a theistic God . The Design theory is usually supported on two major points - the complexity of the universe and the teleological nature of all natural organisms that constitute the universe . Traditionally , the old design theory resorts to an analogy of the machine , which

is complex with an absolutely immaculate correspondence between the parts and the whole and has a `purpose ' or `telos , thus teleological . Using Paley 's now legendary example of a mechanical watch that begins its `Natural Theology , one can say that a watch in good condition comprises a number of devices that are intricately connected to each other in such a way that if one part moves , it in turn set the other parts into movement thus making the clock work . The watch is thus a `complex ' machine . At a second or higher level , there is a `purpose ' behind this entire operation , i .e . the `purpose ' of the watch - to tell what time of the day it is to its user . Thus , all parts contribute to the whole leading to a well defined `purpose , thereby making the device `teleological Paley 's inference , which he extends to include all kinds of being and is developed into the central argument of...