The philosopher William Paley discussed the existence of God in the so called the teleological argument. The teleological argument is also known as Intelligent Design, or the argument from design. In order to explain the existence of God, William Paley gave us what is known as an argument by analogy. This form of inductive argument invites us to consider a particular state of affairs. For instance, let us set two situations; situation A for which we are already likely to have certain beliefs, and then likens it to situation B, with which we are less familiar. The general idea is that in the interest of consistency, whatever conclusions we have drawn about A, we ought to draw about B as well. Paley used it to argument the existence of God, in what is known as the Watchmaker Analogy. The main aspect of Paley’s analogy is purpose. He illustrates that if we saw a stone laid on the ground we may assume that it had been there forever, and not have been crafted for a specific purpose. However, now imagine if we found a watch on the ground. Would we imagine that the watch simply appeared spontaneously on its own? Or would we see the complexity of it, and notice …show more content…
If we compare the watch to the complexity of the human body. Heart and lungs working perfectly together, producing sweat to keep ourselves from overheating, transforming food into energy. Or looking at how elements of the natural world operate according to complex laws that sustain a beautiful natural harmony. Paley was expressing that all of this could not be possible just have happened. It is the idea that our world and the universe surrounding it are so intricate that it could not happen by accident, it was designed. There must be designer. If you comprehend and accept this analogy, then you agree with Paley that, just like the purposefulness of a watch compels us to believe in a watchmaker, the purposefulness of the world compels us to believe in a world maker –