Final answer:
According to William Paley, if a watch does not work well, we will still recognize that the watch results from intelligent design, indicating the existence of a watchmaker. Even in its non-functioning state, the complexity of the watch implies purposeful creation, extending the analogy to the natural world to argue for a divine designer.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Paley, if we find a watch that does not work well, the correct answer is b. we will still recognize that the watch is the result of intelligent design. Paley's teleological argument asserts that the complexity and order we observe, such as the inner workings of a watch, indicate an intelligent designer behind them, even if the object is not functioning properly.
The watch analogy suggests that, like a watch with all its gears and springs designed to tell time, the universe with its complex and grandeur design must have been created by an intelligent designer. Therefore, even if the watch does not work as expected, its existence and intricate components still imply that it was made with an intelligent purpose. Similar reasoning is applied to natural phenomena, suggesting the presence of a divine designer or God for the observed order in the universe.
While William Paley's argument is principally a discussion of theological philosophy, it has found application in the debate between creationism and evolution, particularly in drawing parallels between human-made artifacts and natural occurrences.