Paley's Analogical Argument

What is Paley’s argument?

1. A stone could have been sat on a beach forever and you would not presume a designer or any external power due to the stone’s simplicity.

2. A watch, on the other hand, could not have been sat on a beach forever due to its complexity. You would not assume that the complex parts of the watch naturally assembled together to coincidently serve the purpose of telling the time. Therefore you would presume a designer.

3. However, Paley argues that the universe and world we live in includes more complexity than the watch. Therefore, there must be a designer to the universe (God).

What does Paley use for evidence?

Qua purpose - human eye

Qua regularity - order of the universe

What are Hume’s criticisms?

1. Hume claimed that man-made objects are unique to the universe/worldly objects. Their ‘design’ process could have no similarity.

2. We have no experience in universe making and so cannot argue about its process as we have no idea.

What are some other criticisms?

1. Problem of evil - If there is a creator, it isn’t the Christian God due to the severe suffering and evil in the world.

2. Evolution doesn’t have a direction. It was not designed it just simply happens by natural purpose. Survival of the fittest cannot be a process that is pre-designed.

What is the status of Paley’s Argument?

Inductive Priori. Provides premises that could be true but does not provide PROOF that there is a designer, just evidence that support there is LIKELY a creator.

What are the modern criticisms of the Teleological argument?

1. Darwinism - natural selection supports complexity, as the more complex a being, the more likely they serve their purpose to survive.

2. Anthropic argument - any observable universe must support observers. Say there are many universes (multiverse theory) and only a few that support life, it is not surprising that have a universe that supports life as we are observing this observable universe.

What are the modern arguments for the Teleological argument?

1. Fine tuning argument - 19 constants that are set within a very fine range that allows life.