Transcript William Paley

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 Paley
William 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 sixsided? 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.)
Each snowflake is
as complex as a
watch
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?
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.
What do you think?