Question

The first conclusion of Paley's Watchmaker Argument states that objects in the natural

world were created by an intelligent designer. Explain how Paley argues for this conclusion of his argument using his Watchmaker Analogy.

Answer 1

William Paley's Watchmaker Argument suggests that the complex order found in the natural world, much like the complex design of a watch, implies the existence of an intelligent designer or Divine creator.

Step-by-step explanation:

William Paley's Watchmaker Argument is a teleological argument for the existence of God that draws an analogy between the complexity of a watch and the complexity of the universe.

Paley argued that just as a watch, which exhibits intricate parts working in harmony to tell time, implies the existence of an intelligent watchmaker, so too does the complexity and order found in nature suggest a Divine designer.

He posits that objects we find in the natural world are too complex to have originated randomly, thus must have been created by an intelligent designer.

This argument is structured around several key premises, leading to a conclusion that echoes this analogy:

1. Human artifacts are products of intelligent design;
2. The universe resembles these human artifacts;
3. Therefore, the universe is likely a product of intelligent design;
4. The universe is vastly more complex than human artifacts;
5. Therefore, there must be a powerful and vastly intelligent designer responsible for the universe.

Extending this to biological systems, such as the human eye, Paley contended that their intricacy similarly necessitated a designer.

This teleological argument for the existence of God concludes that due to the intelligent purpose and order observable in the world, there must be an intelligent designer, whom Paley identifies as God.