Temporal teleological argument in the contemporary philosophy of religion

This study discusses the function of arguments for the existence of God in affirming theism, specifically using the teleological argument of Richard Swinburne (b. 1934- ). Swinburne constructs the temporal teleological argument, which is a contemporary form of it, as inductive, probabilistic evidence that explains the order in the universe with a holistic view in light of scientific developments. He argues that this argument contributes to philosophical theism, which is an explanatory hypothesis. Our dissertation defends the idea that the consistency and accuracy of philosophical theism as an explanatory hypothesis is not only due to the arguments in favor of theism but also for some other reasons that are necessary for them. To this end, the introduction presents a conceptual framework to facilitate the understanding of teleological arguments, and a review of the relevant literature is provided. In the first chapter, the classical teleological arguments of Paley and Tennant are discussed, which are important to trace the historical development of the argument. In addition, the classical objections of Hume, Kant, and Darwin, which continue to oppose the teleological argument today, were included. The second chapter sought an answer to the question of how Swinburne, who claimed to construct a contemporary and robust version of the argument despite all the objections, constructed the teleological argument. The third chapter evaluated the possibility of an alternative explanation other than theism for the conclusion of Swinburne's teleological argument and his view that "order in the universe can only be explained if there is a God," which is the main claim of his philosophical theism. This chapter has evaluated the function of the criteria and arguments necessary to confirm philosophical theism based on Swinburne's proposed personal explanation. Finally, an attempt is made to understand the position of philosophical theism, which is the explanatory hypothesis advanced by Swinburne in contemporary philosophy of religion, by considering the objections to it. As a result of this study, it was found that the hypothesis of philosophical theism put forward by Swinburne is a strong alternative explanation among the hypotheses used to explain many events and phenomena in the universe. It was also acknowledged that the arguments, particularly the teleological arguments, contribute to the consistency of theism and the confirmation of belief in the existence of God, but that more than these logical arguments are necessary to justify theism's assertion. Key Words: Swinburne, the existence of God, Argument, Teleological argument, Explanatory hypothesis, Philosophical theism.