Aquinas’ Teleological Argument | The Fifth Way vs. Darwin

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Why does an acorn grow into an oak tree rather than anything else? Thomas Aquinas believed it’s because God gives everything a purpose. But if Darwin's theory of evolution can explain this without reference to God, does it undermine Aquinas’ Fifth Way, also known as the Teleological Argument?

In this video, we explore Aquinas’ argument from design, one of his Five Ways to prove the existence of God. Drawing from Aristotle’s idea of final causes, Aquinas claimed that nonintelligent natural things consistently act towards beneficial ends, which must be explained by an intelligent cause—namely, God. This video breaks down the logic of the Fifth Way, explains how it supports the existence of God, and considers whether the teleological structure of nature really requires divine explanation.

We also analyse major objections, especially from the problem of evil and evolutionary theory. Darwin introduced a natural mechanism—natural selection—that offers an alternative to intelligent design. Does this destroy Aquinas’ design argument? Or can teleology in nature still make sense in a scientific world? Finally we consider whether the Fifth Way can survive beyond biology and whether goal-directedness in physics (e.g. electrons) can support it.

Perfect for University Courses & A-Level Philosophy & Ethics/Religious Studies OCR or equivalent.

🔍 Key Points Covered
▸ Aquinas’ Fifth Way and the Teleological Argument for God
▸ The role of purpose in nature and Aristotle’s final cause
▸ Darwin’s challenge: evolution as a natural explanation
▸ The problem of evil and brutality in nature
▸ Whether teleological arguments apply beyond biology (e.g. electrons)

📖 Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:11 Aquinas’ Teleological Argument (Fifth Way) Explained
01:07 Why Is Nature So Brutal? (The Challenge from the Problem of Evil)
01:55 Does Evolution Undermine Aquinas?
02:40 From Aristotle to Kant: Changing Views on Teleology
03:14 Is There Still a Case for Design in Nature?

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🔬 Sources and Further Reading
Kenny, A. (2010) A New History of Western Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 487.
Pawl, T. (2012) ‘The Five Ways’, in, B. Davies (ed) The Oxford Handbook of Aquinas. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 115-134.
Peterson, M. L. & Venema, D. R. (2021) Biology, Religion, and Philosophy: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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