ABSTRACT
The teleological argument is an argument from analogy. The main question that needs to be addressed in this chapter is whether or not it is a good analogy and, if not, what better explanation for the apparent order in the universe can be given. Plato presented an early version of the teleological argument, which can be found in his Laws. However, the theologian William Paley, together with the great critic of the teleological argument, David Hume, offer more modern and complex interpretations. If it can be argued that the teleological argument is the best explanation possible, then it is a strong argument. To understand the process, it helps to have a brief lesson in basic logic, simply because the argument presented has a logical structure. The teleological argument, however, is not deductive; it is inductive. The consequence of the Scientific Revolution was the requirement that knowledge should be testable if it is to be given any credence.
