In This Famous Dialogue Philo (Who Reflects Hume's Views on the Subject)

question 11

True/False

In this famous dialogue Philo (who reflects Hume's views on the subject) gives us the classic critique of the argument from design. In the parts reproduced here, Cleanthes (the natural theologian) states the argument and asserts, "By this argument a posteriori, and by this argument alone, do we prove at once the existence of a Deity and his similarity to human mind and intelligence." Philo replies that the argument rests on an extremely weak analogy from which we can derive no more than a guess about a deity. The dissimilarities between the universe and a human-crafted machine are too great to draw the conclusion that Cleanthes seeks. We cannot, for example, draw a conclusion about the origin of the vast universe as a whole from a fact about the origin of a tiny part of the universe (a house or a ship, for instance). Furthermore, if we try to infer the nature of a Designer from facts about the natural world and human designers, we would have to conclude that the Designer may not be infinite (because the world is finite), may not be perfect (because nature is full of imperfections), and may not be single (because it is possible that the world was made by many deities).
-Philo proves that no God exists.

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Follow-Up Care

Medical care and treatment that continues after the initial treatment or surgery, aimed at monitoring a patient's recovery or disease progression.

Patient Status

Information pertaining to a patient's current health condition or situation within a healthcare setting, including management plans and care updates.

Clinical Information System

A computer-based system designed to support the storage, management, and retrieval of patients' healthcare information in clinical settings.

Computerized Provider Order Entry System

A computer-based system that allows healthcare practitioners to enter medical orders into a computer system, aiming to reduce errors and improve efficiency.