William Paley was a nineteenth-century philosopher and theologian. His writings explore ideas surrounding morality, utilitarianism, theism, and teleologism, especially in relation to the Christian faith.
Before delving into Paley’s assertions on the existence of God, it is important to understand a few key ideas. First, teleologism essentially rests on the notion that actions are best explained by their results. Secondly, leaders of the scientific revolution, including Sir Isaac Newton and Descartes, often compared the workings of the universe to a clock or watch. Descartes claimed that “the mechanical perfection of the workings of the universe” were similar to a watch and that the watchmaker of the universe was therefore God. It is within these two sets of ideas that Paley’s watchmaker analogy comes to fruition.
In Natural Theology or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity, published in 1802, Paley wrote what is perhaps the most popular iteration and explanation of the watchmaker analogy. First, Paley claims that if you find a watch on the ground, it is safe to assume that someone dropped it there, and when you inspect that dropped watch, you can assume it was created by a watchmaker, because no ordinary person without such precise and technical training could produce a watch, as watches rely on intricate, delicate systems in order to run properly. Paley says,
Just as the watch has such complex means to an end, so does nature to a much greater extent. Just look at the complexity of the human eye. Thus we must conclude that nature has a maker too.
This means that because the universe resembles human artifacts (such as watches), the universe therefore implies intelligent design, but because the universe is more vast, complex, and expansive than any watch, it must have been created by God, because only He is powerful, creative, and intelligent enough to have done so.
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