An Explanation of Paley's Argument for the Existence of God
Explain Paley's argument for the existence of God
William Paley was a philosopher and a theologian who came up with the design argument. He believed that the universe was so intricately designed that it must have had an original creator.
Paley formed the bases of his argument from the Teleological argument. This argument was one of five arguments for the existence of God. It attempted to prove God’s existence by using our experiences of the world or universe around us. This makes it a posteriori in nature.
From this Paley came up with a hypothetical in which he told people to imagine that they had found a watch on the ground and when they opened it up they would see the intricate design that lay within. According to Paley, this design that people would see is so complex and so intricately designed that no ordinary man could possibly design such a thing and therefore it must have been designed by someone with skill and knowledge.
Paley used this example to put forward his argument for the existence of God and the universe. Paley stated that just like the watch, the world must have been designed by something much greater than us. He believed this because unlike the watch, the universe is a lot more complex than a normal watch and therefore it must have been created by a greater being. Just like the human eye, as it so intrinsically designed that no ordinary person could have created it. Therefore it must have been a more intelligent being, this being God. As in the Judaeo Christian Bible and other various scriptures God is described as being omniscient, meaning all-knowing. From this logic Paley argued that only an all-powerful (omnipotent) and all-knowing (omniscient) being could create such a thing like the universe.
Paley continued on with his design argument, while referring to god along the way, as he believed that everything was designed for a specific reason. He started by stating that everything has its own purpose and that it was designed for the
William Paley was a philosopher and a theologian who came up with the design argument. He believed that the universe was so intricately designed that it must have had an original creator.
Paley formed the bases of his argument from the Teleological argument. This argument was one of five arguments for the existence of God. It attempted to prove God’s existence by using our experiences of the world or universe around us. This makes it a posteriori in nature.
From this Paley came up with a hypothetical in which he told people to imagine that they had found a watch on the ground and when they opened it up they would see the intricate design that lay within. According to Paley, this design that people would see is so complex and so intricately designed that no ordinary man could possibly design such a thing and therefore it must have been designed by someone with skill and knowledge.
Paley used this example to put forward his argument for the existence of God and the universe. Paley stated that just like the watch, the world must have been designed by something much greater than us. He believed this because unlike the watch, the universe is a lot more complex than a normal watch and therefore it must have been created by a greater being. Just like the human eye, as it so intrinsically designed that no ordinary person could have created it. Therefore it must have been a more intelligent being, this being God. As in the Judaeo Christian Bible and other various scriptures God is described as being omniscient, meaning all-knowing. From this logic Paley argued that only an all-powerful (omnipotent) and all-knowing (omniscient) being could create such a thing like the universe.
Paley continued on with his design argument, while referring to god along the way, as he believed that everything was designed for a specific reason. He started by stating that everything has its own purpose and that it was designed for the