Paley's Design Argument

• Teleology


  Any theory in which everything is related to its goal or purpose
• The enlightenment

  • Philosophical movement
  • Europe, 18th century
  • Focused on reason
• William Paley


  • Natural Theology (1802)
  • Archdeacon
  • 'Senior Wrangler' for Maths at Cambridge

  
• Empirical


  based on experience of the senses
• Inductive


  a type of reasoning that presents cases or evidence that lead to a logical conclusion
• A posteriori


  arguments depending on sense experience
• Paley's Observations

  Complexity, regularity, purpose
• The Design Argument

  1. some objects show complexity, regularity and serve a purpose, they have designers
  2. The universe is complex and regular implying it has a purpose
  3. It is likely the universe was designed by a designer.