The Similarities Between the World and Machines
The world and machines can be seen as being similar, as they are products of human minds and a supernatural being. The analogy exists due to the complexity in their functionality that they both exhibit. The teleological argument by David Hume is an inductive argument that tries to prove the existence of God. Any complex artifact is a product of a designer and it is meant to serve a specific function. Comparing the world and machines, there are some similarities as well as some differences. The world supports itself and can be seen as a machine. We have rivers, lakes, dry land, solar system, flora and fauna among others. Since the past, human beings have been finding ways to adapt even though the world has been changing. Deforestation and release of toxic waste to the environment have resulted in global warming and those are the effects of changing the functionality of the system. Just like any machine, when one interferes with any element, the functionality will change and the effects can be seen. The similarity between machines and the world is the foundation of the inference that we make about this argument.
The Functionality of Machines and the World
The world and machines have different parts, they perform functions orderly. Machines are products of the design by the human mind and their functionality is quite complex. For instance, a smartphone is a complex product that helps human beings to achieve different functions. It has a camera, an operating system, or sensors, among other elements. Each element in the phone has its order, design, and function and it is a product of an intelligent designer. The machines and their functionality are a result of the thought process of a human mind.
The Order, Design, and Function of the World
The world too has its order, design, and function and that shows the similarity with machines. The biodiversity that exists in the world explains the result of an intelligent design. That shows that the world is a designed product of a natural being who has the intelligence that can be compared to that of the human mind. No human being has been said to have the intelligence and superiority of building the world and thus, we can infer that there is a superior being. The argument is different from what is elaborated by the cosmological, ontological, and transcendent arguments. Although the functionality of the world is abstracted and beyond the comprehension of the human mind, the order it displays can be likened to a great machine. Such a product can be the result of a great designer and creator. The argument thus proves the existence and presence of a Deity who designs, creates, and controls the world. The functionality of the world goes beyond the understanding of human beings and different arguments presented by scientists have shortcomings. Believing in the existence of a deity is what helps us to understand the presence of an intelligent creator.
Inferencing the Existence of a Deity
Just as machines are a result of the wisdom, thoughts, and intelligence of a human designer, we can infer that the world too is a product of a deity. Though no proof can be given of the presence of the deity, the order, functionality, and design of the world show there exists someone superior.
The Counter Arguments
To the contrary, the inference that we have made regarding the argument is a generalization as the two elements function differently and serve different purposes. Thus, it would be undesirable to compare them. Other people who do not believe in the existence of a deity will explain that the similarities and differences between the world and machines are due to science. Taking an instance of the evolution of the world, scientists argue using the big bang theory and how molecules and DNA combined to form different elements that exist in the world. According to Nojiri, Odintsov and Oikonomou, scientists have been depending on the twilight of the scientific age to explain the presence and functioning of the world (52). That is the opposite of the argument of people who believe in the existence of a deity.
The Differences Between the World and Machines
Another argument would be of the differences that exist between the world and machines. The machines, such as smartphones, are aimed at performing a particular function and that was the reason why the design created it. The world, on the other hand, is not clear what is the particular function of some parts. Other parts of the world do not show some order and that point can be used by opponents of the argument who are against the existence of a deity.
A Fallacious Inference
The argument against the claim will lead me to make a fallacious inference since I have moved from a true premise to a false conclusion, thus the argument by David Hume can be seen as contradicting.
Works cited
Nojiri, S., S. D. Odintsov, and V. K. Oikonomou. "Modified gravity theories on a nutshell:
inflation, bounce and late-time evolution." Physics Reports, no. 692, 2017, pp. 1-104.
