Date of Award
1993
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Philosophy
Department
Philosophy
Abstract
The argument from design is one of the most widely debated arguments for the existence of God. There has been much written in support of and in criticism of the argument's basic structure and conclusion. I shall attempt to clarify these positions, and to argue that the theistic account provides a more rationally justified explanation of human life on earth than the atheistic account.
Many philosophers think that any proof for the existence of God is mere "metaphysical speculation." Many times these philosophers use the criteria of scientific empiricism as the standard for an "acceptable" scientific theory, regardless of the subject matter.
I shall formulate the argument from design as an empirical scientific theory according to the school of scientific falsificationism as stated by Karl Popper.
The principal literature to be investigated in this study will be the most recent articles and texts which discuss relevant scientific data, and their philosophical implications for the argument from design.
The results of this investigation demonstrate that it is possible to formulate an argument for the existence of God which meets all of the criteria of the falsificationists school of scientific empiricism.
Recommended Citation
Mixie, Joseph R., "The Atheist Trap, or the Argument from Design and Scientific Falsification" (1993). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 1761.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/1761
Terms of Use
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