Natural-law argument
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Teleological argument. (Discuss) Proposed since June 2025. |
The Natural-law argument for the existence of God states that the observation of governing laws and existing order in the universe indicates the existence of a superior being who enacted these laws.[1] The argument was popularised by Isaac Newton, René Descartes, and Robert Boyle.[2] The argument of natural laws as a basis for God was changed by Christian figures such as Thomas Aquinas, in order to fit biblical scripture and establish a Judeo-Christian teleological law.
Bertrand Russell criticized the argument, arguing that many of the things considered to be laws of nature are, in fact, human conventions.[3] The teleological argument assumes that one can infer the existence of intelligent design merely by examination, and because life is reminiscent of something a human might design, it too must have been designed. However, considering "snowflakes and crystals of certain salts", "[i]n no case do we find intelligence". "There are other ways that order and design can come about" such as by "purely physical forces."[4]
References
- ↑ "The Natural Law Argument". www.mit.edu.
- ↑ Harrison, Peter; Roberts, Jon H. (2019). Science without God? rethinking the history of scientific naturalism (First ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198834588. Search this book on
- ↑ "Bertrand Russell | Why I Am Not a Christian". users.drew.edu.
- ↑ Cornman, J. W., K. Lehrer, and G. S. Pappas. 1992. Philosophical Problems and Arguments: An Introduction. Hackett Publishing. pp. 245–56.
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