Lucy asked:

What are the strengths of the design argument?

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1. That it is based on the quite evident Complexity of the biological creatures.

2. That it makes use of the huge length of the evolutionary time scale, that evolution becomes almost
totally unnoticed in our short lives.

3. That it makes use of a native (but most probably false) human question to ask, 'What is the use of
this organ' since this promotes an idea that those organs were created on purpose, instead of saying
'a leg is made to make us walk' you'd better say 'a leg serves in walking' Since evolutionary
speaking, an organ arises by random mutation and then the organism elaborates it, and makes use of
its presence to survive via natural selection.

4. It is a very favorable substitute for the considered- repulsing view of evolution as a blind
watchmaker, which thus means we were the products of a non-willing chance.

5. It makes good use of the fact that there could have been dozens of other worlds that could have
been totally inhospitable to any form of life. If the electron charge was just a bit larger, all atoms could
never unite to produce molecules. Or if there were 2 or 1 space dimensions instead of 3 or any other
small changes biological life would be impossible since a simple GIT in a 2D creature would cut him
into 2 pieces! Further the chance of DNA production is very small, etc etc..

6. It usually attributes creation to god, who, in spite of being thought of as being more complex, is
invisible so it is not likely that someone would wonder how his complexity is present without being
created.
But finally, in spite of all those 'Apparent' Strengths of the design argument, almost no philosopher
would hesitate to dismiss it as falsehood, and since you asked only for the strengths, I assume you
already know the much longer list of weaknesses and thus will not discuss them.

Arthur Brown

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