William Paley“The Argument from Design”

also known as “The Teleological Argument”.

The aim of this presentation is to explain William Paley’s argument for the existence of God:

The world, he says, is too complex and well–designed to have come about by chance. It seems to have been planned by an intelligent mind for a special purpose.

William Paley, 1743-1805.

This is William Paley, an

Englishman who published several books of philosophy and theology.

(This is a drawing, not a photograph. The camera had not yet been invented!)

William PaleyWilliam Paley lived at a time

when only the very rich could afford a clock or a watch. Most people would only ever see a clock on a church tower, or on a town hall. Many would only know the time by counting the striking of the bells.

“Suppose you find a watch...”

Paley said “Suppose you had never seen a watch before. One day, when you are out walking, you find one on the ground. You would see instantly how complex it is.”

“You wouldn’t think that this object had come into existence by chance. You would think that this must have been designed by a clever person to do a particular job... Even if you didn’t know what that job is."

The Solar System: a complex clock?

NOW said William Paley. The universe is like that. If you look at it carefully, you must come to the conclusion that it has been designed by an intelligent mind for a particular purpose.

The Milky Way... complex and beautiful

Look at a leaf.

There are millions of trees and plants in the world, and huge areas covered with grass...

Leaves are beautiful to look at, and often we don’t bother looking.

And yet one single leaf...

...is more complex than a watch, and is “designed” for the purpose of feeding the whole plant.

... Now let’s leave leaves and think about snow...

Everybody likes snow.

A scientist says:“Did you know that no

two snowflakes are exactly the same, but they are all six-sided? This is due to the molecular structure of ice...”

(P.S. How does he know that no two snowflakes are the same? He can’t possibly have looked at all snowflakes.)

Were they not all designed by an intelligent mind?

Each flower and each butterfly has its own distinctive design.

And probably the best design in the world: people...

...who come in all shapes and sizes...

...and who do all sorts of creative things...

Are we not more complex than William Paley’s watch?

The questions are:

Like the stars, the flowers, the snowflakes, and the butterflies...

... have we not been designed by an intelligent creator for a particular purpose? And if so, what could that purpose be?

What do you think?

William Paley said that everything that exists shows evidence of having been designed by an intelligent being, and that intelligent being is what we call God.