(December 31, 2022 at 8:19 pm)LinuxGal Wrote: Thomist: The Teleological Argument is actually about the per se cause of the tendency of each creature to an end. The origin of species via evolution is completely irrelevant, as evolution is a per accidens cause.
I answer that,
Natural selection and deep time results in the simulacrum of design. Aquatic mammals resemble fish because their form, after many reproductive iterations, is optimal for their environment. A valid argument from design must first rule out whether the design is merely apparent.
Your response to the Thomist is a complete non sequitur.
If you're interested in understanding what the Fifth Way really says (as opposed to whatever it is you're arguing against) you can read Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide by Edward Feser. He does a good job of explaining how the Fifth Way is not like an intelligent design argument, or Paley's watchmaker argument.
It looks as though the guy you were talking to understood it better than you. If you ask him he may be willing to explain it to you.
