teleological argument

American  

noun

Metaphysics.

1. the argument for the existence of God based on the assumption that order in the universe implies an orderer and cannot be a natural feature of the universe.

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teleological argument British  

noun

1. Also called: argument from design.  philosophy the argument purporting to prove the existence of God from empirical facts, the premise being that the universe shows evidence of order and hence design Compare ontological argument cosmological argument

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Example Sentences

Thomas Aquinas’s Five Ways is known as a teleological argument for the existence of God from the presence of design in experience.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

His great defect was in not perceiving that this teleological argument, per se, is not in either case enough to convince, but only to arouse serious attention.

From Thoughts on Religion by Gore, Charles

I use these terms advisedly, because I think they will serve to bring out with great clearness the condition to which our analysis of the teleological argument has now been reduced.

From A Candid Examination of Theism by Romanes, George John

It is in its place in the teleological argument, and stands well, though it may not behave as well as the living limb.

From Christianity and Greek Philosophy or, the relation between spontaneous and reflective thought in Greece and the positive teaching of Christ and His Apostles by Cocker, B. F. (Benjamin Franklin)

The physico-theological or teleological argument is what is often styled the argument from design.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics by Hammerton, John Alexander, Sir