Argument from desire

Arguments For the Existence of God
Anthropic Arguments: Anthropic principle Natural-law argument
Arguments For Belief: Pascal's Wager
Christological Arguments: Christological argument Would someone die for a lie? Liar, Lunatic or Lord
Cosmological Arguments: Cosmological argument Fine-tuning argument First cause argument Kalam Uncaused cause Unmoved mover
Majority Arguments: Argumentum ad populum Argument from admired religious scientists
Moral Arguments: Moral argument
Ontological Arguments: Ontological argument Argument from degree Argument from goodness Argument from desire
Reformed Epistemology: Argument from divine sense Sensus divinitatis
Teleological Arguments: Argument from design Banana argument Tornado argument
Testimonial Arguments: Personal revelation Argument from personal experience Consciousness argument for the existence of God Emotional pleas
Transcendental arguments: Transcendental argument

For more information, see the Wikipedia article:

Argument from Desire

The Argument from Desire is an argument for the existence of God, or rather some desired object. Promoted by C. S. Lewis and reportedly playing a part in his conversion to Christianity. It has the distinction of consisting entirely of false premises with a conclusion which does not follow.

The Weight of Glory:

"A man’s physical hunger does not prove that man will get any bread; he may die of starvation on a raft in the Atlantic. But surely a man’s hunger does prove that he comes of a race which repairs its body by eating and inhabits a world where eatable substances exist."

"In the same way, though I do not believe (I wish I did) that my desire for Paradise proves that I shall enjoy it, I think it a pretty good indication that such a thing exists and that some men will. A man may love a woman and not win her; but it would be very odd if the phenomenon called “falling in love” occurred in a sexless world."

Argument

• All innate human desires have objects that exist.
• There is a desire for "we know not what" whose object cannot be identified.
  • God exists.

Counter Argument

• There is no innate desire for God.
• Desires don't prove the existence of the object of said desire.
• The conclusion simply does not follow.
• An unidentified object isn't God.

External link

• About Atheism, Argument from Desire