Assess whether ‘God exists’ is a testable hypothesis Essay

Ultimately, divinitys innovation enkindle non be classified as a testable hypothesis. A hypothesis is a proposal, which female genitalia be tested and then either fend fored or rejected. gods non-physical state makes this virtu bothy impossible, as we argon futile to utilise our senses to confirm his presence or absence. Anthony Flew and Ludwig Wittgensteins theories provide a massive amount of leaven, which suggests that there cannot possibly be a apparitional hypothesis. right(a) introduction.Firstly, Anthony Flews parable of the gardener is highly vital in the pursual to prove that immortals founding is not a testable hypothesis. The scenario includes 2 explorers, who discover a humanly made clearing, yet evidence suggests that it occurred naturally. twain explorers puzzle tell pick ups, wizard favours natural causes and the other favours human intervention. Subsequently, no evidence of the gardener is present, however is invisible. Flews contract hinges on f alsification,and if a phantasmal claim cannot be falsified it is essentially meanless, as the claimant hasnt allowed themselves to be proven wrong. The hypothesis of divinity fudges existence is relatively standardised to this fibre, as beau ideal is transcendent and beyond our experiences, which by Flews sensible system makes the spiritual hypothesis meaningless, as it is not testable. Good.William Paleys watch outmaker likeness is instrumental in the argument for the claim that paragons existence is a testable hypothesis. Paleys analogy consists of a watch, which possesses parts, which ultimately fulfils a purpose. Paleys bold claims are plausible, as he likens the watch to the universe. Evidently, a watchs sole purpose is to tell the time. Therefore, there mustiness be a watchmaker. This links together with the human analogy, which implies that human beingnesss must have a creator, who is in this case God.Essentially, Paleys view is that due to the complexness and order of the universe, it is a requirement that a supremely intelligent being must exist. That being is supposed(p)ly God. Critics would say that this is outlying(prenominal) from the truth, and that we have not by trial and error witnessed the presence of God and it is safe to presume that we will never be able. Therefore, we can assume that Gods existence cannot be likened to that of a watch, because the process of making a watch is a testable hypothesis, whether the mental institution of the world is not and never will be. Good use of the analogy.Flew argues that spiritual believers hold onto Gods existence regardless of any evidence brought forward to suggest otherwise. Subsequently, Flews proposal is that the religious hypothesis must be rejected, due to the unfalsifiable nature and the undying support by religious believers, who are unable to allow their religious legal opinions to be deemed meaningless. However, Flews flack is not widely accepted, and Basil Mitchell is one of much, who expressed their criticisms. Mitchell disagrees with Flews view that religious beliefs are unfalsifiable. Mitchell suggests that when religious believers encounter suffering such as evil, they are bound to question their trustingness, which makes it falsifiable. How plausible is this claim?Also, numerous believers do lose their faith, therefore, Flew is misguided in his attempt to show that believers see their religious belief through rose tinted glasses.So,while Mitchell may not be claiming that God is thence a religious hypothesis, he still possesses the belief that religious belief can be falsified via trials of faith. Good.In addition, the tab principle is often apply to support both the claim that God exists and that God does not exist. earth-closet Hick ac intimacyd that the religious proposals cannot be falsified, however can be support therefore making the hypothesis testable.Ultimately,John Hick s lead is that in the afterlife, religious statement s can be verified, and can prove whether Gods existence is a religious hypothesis. Hick proposes that, an observation is better assessed, if it can be verified, with the removal of rational doubt.Hick accepts that religious propositions cannot be falsified, because if God doesnt exist, when we die we will be un able to confirm or deny this. Hick uses the parable of the Celestial city to adorn this. It includes two men, who are travelling to the alike(p) destination, yet have contrasting expectations of what they will find. This parable nips towards Eschatological verification, which relates to Hicks argument that many claims are reliant on the presence of the afterlife.Nevertheless, critics suggest that we will never be able to truly verify our experiences. This essentially applies to the existence of God and heaven if God is a figure beyond our thoughts, it is hard to envisage how we will be able to identify that we are experiencing God and heaven, preferably than merely a il lusion.Moreover, Logical Positivists possess the belief that all knowledge is derived from our senses. Therefore, if knowledge is not empirically gained, it is meaningful. Gods alleged characteristics hint toward him being non-physical, making it impossible to empirically witness his existence. This led to logical positivists claim, that Gods existence is not testable and the claim is meaningless, as it is empirically not verifiable and cannot be tested.Equally, the flaws within the verification argument are highlighted regularly. History and Science exploit the weaknesses for all to see. An example from science is the existence of atoms, which cannot be verified, but almost certainly exists.Therefore,this example highlights the out-dated nature of the verification principle, as issues are more complex than the verification principles allow. Also, the example of Julius Caesar is one which resembles that of God. There are no longer witnesses for the existence of the roman leader and documentary evidence is limited. This leads you to believe that, if Caesars existence cannot be verified but still be true, then maybe the resembling can be said for the existence of God. Strong analysis.Furthermore, Ludwig Wittgenstein, who was one of the most decorate philosophers of his generation, rejected the possibility of a religious hypothesis, basing it on the fact that the meaning of words hinge on the context that they are used in, and whether we are a part of the specific group. Wittgenstein claims that there cannot be a religious hypothesis, because the context will vary depending on whether its religion or science. Wittgenstein rejected the single theory of meaning, and all words can be used in a variety of context. Wittgensteins claim is that all statements are meaningful as long as they are mute by other lyric poem users. Regarding religious statements, we must be a part of the game and share the beliefs in order to understand the religious statements.Therefore, religious statements cannot be a hypothesis as they are overly subjective ,unlike, scientific claims. This accounts for why Atheists do not possess the same faith and beliefs, because they do not interpret language in the same way as the religious believers, when it comes to the existence of God. However, Wittgensteins theory is off the beaten track(predicate) from flawless, and this is evident. A meaningful statement no longer has to be machine-accessible to the real world, as it is associated with a language game, which renders the truth of it to be irrelevant. For example, a group of priests could talk meaningfully about non-existent objects, and this wouldnt affect the meaningfulness of the language game. This sparks anti-realism, which is detrimental ,as to an extent religious claims often involve claims about what exists in reality. The religious language game is applicable to society, and not such members of the religious language game.In addition, Evidentialism is a theo ry, that suggests it is irrational to believe in something without adequate reason. Faith allows someone to simply state their belief, without explanation or defence. Kierkegaards infamous quote, when I pray, I hear silence, therefore God exists Kierkegaard suggests that faith can provide solace in a meaningless world. The supposed silence that Kierkegaard hears would indicate to an atheist that God didnt exist. But, for Kierkegaard, faith is more important than reason, and belief in God is required, which makes is Gods existence a religious hypothesis a meaningless discussion. How plausible is this claim?Despite this, faith is not without its faults. Believers often require a purpose in life, which hey gain from a supernatural being.Ultimately,our faith in God may well stem from our own insecurities and the desire to savor that there is an afterlife waiting for us if we abide by Gods rules.To conclude, ultimately, the existence of Gods is not and will never be a testable hypothesi s, for an array of reasons. The main issues arise from the fact that God can not be empirically proven, due to his non-physical state, making it far from testable, which makes it hard to provide support for the case of it being a hypothesis. The case brought forward by Anthony Flew and Ludwig Wittgenstein is compelling to say the least, as they highlight several(prenominal) issues, which back up claims that Gods existence is not a testable hypothesis.The inability to falsify religious claims essentially makes them meaningless, as there is no possibility of the clamant being proved wrong, therefore since Gods presence cannot be empirically know, we cannot test his existence. Wittgenstein highlights the subjective nature of nature, which prevents you delimit a term, and he claims that hypothesis are scientists rather than believers. Therefore, we cannot label the Gods existence as a hypothesis, as were unable to gain access to it empirically or otherwise. Meaningful conclusion.