The ‘teleological argument‘ is perhaps the most time-endurant philosophical argument for the existence of god. Often referred to as the “argument from design“, Thomas Aquinas truly shaped the teleological argument. A medieval philosopher and theologian (expert in studying the nature of god), Aquinas made profound contributions to Christian and Western thought (whether good or bad, I will leave you to evaluate). But what is the ‘teleological argument‘? Learn about the Thomas Aquinas teleological argument below.
Who Was Thomas Aquinas?
Born in Roccasecca, Italy in 1225, Thomas Aquinas was educated at the University of Naples and later joined the Dominican Order (a Catholic group that preached gospel, and still runs to this day with around 5,000 members) despite objections from his wealthy family. Throughout his life, Aquinas grew to be one of the most influential religious scholars in Western history. He integrated the philosophy of Aristotle (logical, or “rational” thought) into the Catholic church.
Aquinas’ major work (the Summa Theologica) combined both theology (the studies of god) and philosophy, intending to use logical or rational thought to explain why the Catholic church was right, providing key arguments as to ‘evidence’ the existence of God. His manner of explaining the Christian religion made way for scholasticism – a medieval school of thought that focused on using the ‘logical’ in order to explain Christianity, and the centric method of education throughout Europe between 1100-1700 AD.
His contributions to the Western production of knowledge are not just limited to theology. Aquinas influenced metaphysics, ethics, political philosophy and natural law theory (all of which will be covered in later articles). He is the most known, studied and recognised Christian philosopher and theologian in Western history.
Read Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica
What is the Aquinas Teleological Argument?
Thomas Aquinas’ teleological argument is a method of philosophical reasoning that argues the world must have been designed. The order and purpose of all things provide us with evidence, according to Aquinas, that there must be a God, as in that time, it could not be explained otherwise. The Aquinas teleological argument (from telos – purpose in Greek) is the claim that the world can only be explained by the creation of an intelligent being. Modern science, of course provides us with theories such as the big bang to explain the world. Yet, Aquinas in his time refused scientific arguments – it was not just a coincidence, surely?
It is important that we recognise that Aquinas did not create the teleological argument himself, however. Ancient philosophers such as Plato, Socrates and Aristotle all made similar arguments before him. In a world full of perfect order, they all saw the universe to be structured – but what made it that way? Aquinas set out to answer this question, leading to the fifth way.
What Was the Fifth Way?
Aquinas has five key arguments that there must be the existence of God. The fifth way was the final, and the only rational explanation he could find to answer his previous exploration. This forms the teleological argument:
- Observing order – Aquinas saw order in the world, and wanted to know why it was so.
- Lack of consciousness – he saw that the stars, plants and nature had no intelligence themselves.
- Directed behaviour – despite the second argument, they all seemed to work towards the same goal.
- Need for direction – they could not guide themselves, so what did?
- The teleological argument – The intelligent thing that guides them must be what Christians call God.
This is only a very simple summary – if you wanted to get a deeper understanding, I recommend you read Summa Theologica yourself – it is clearly structured, and not vastly over complicated to read. If you buy it through the link here, you are funding local bookshops – not global companies.
Of course, Thomas Aquinas teleological argument has had hundreds of critics in the years after his life, and I think most in the modern day would be themselves. But in trying to prove him wrong, it truly does make us question the possibility of a God.
Interested in Feminist philosophy? Take a look at Simone De Beauvoir’s The Woman Destroyed here.
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