AS Design qua Purpose

AS Design qua Purpose

1. William Paley (18th Century)

   • Paley was a philosopher who believed that the parts of the universe were so intricately fitted together that there must be a designer. He believed that the universe had a purpose (eg. to sustain life), and that this purpose showed that God existed, and he was a designer - as it says in classical theism.

2. Analogies

   • A Watch
     • Parts of a watch all seem to fit intricately together, and work meticulously. If somebody came across a watch they would assume that it had a watchmaker to produce it. It was created to serve the purpose of telling time. This is like the universe and God, according to Paley.
   • A Television
     • It shows evidence of purpose, complexity and design because the parts are fitted together in such a way to receive pictures and sound. The parts were put together like this to fulfill this function.

3. Examples

   • The Universe
     • Some parts of the universe appear to fit together perfectly to achieve a specific function, like it was designed. Paley thought that to achieve this, it must have been designed for a specific purpose, not randomly. It must have been designed by God.
   • The Human Eye
     • Various parts of the eye cooperate in a complex way together, to produce sight. The eye was clearly designed for a specific purpose, to allow sight, which shows that there is an element of design for a purpose.
   • The Lacteal System
     • The number of teats/paps in each species is found to bear a proportion to the number of the young.
   • The Ozone Layer
     • Arthur Brown (20th Century) stated that the ozone layer had a purpose of filtering UV rays, and said that that could not have come about by chance. It was designed for a purpose, to protect.
       • Problems: However, the ozone layer is not in perfect condition. Some ask how a perfect, divine deity produce something that would malfunction.