Editing William Paley (section)

==Thought==

Paley's ''Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy'' was one of the most influential philosophical texts in late Enlightenment Britain. It was cited in several parliamentary debates over the [[corn laws]] in Britain and in debates in the US Congress. The book remained a set textbook at Cambridge well into the Victorian era. [[Charles Darwin]], as a student of theology, was required to read it when he did his undergraduate studies at Christ's College, but it was Paley's ''Natural Theology'' that most impressed Darwin even though it was not a set book for undergraduates. Portraits of Paley and Darwin face each other at Christ's College to this day.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cQO3CgAAQBAJ|title=Charles Darwin in Cambridge: The Most Joyful Years|last=Wyhe|first=John van|date=2014-05-27|publisher=World Scientific|isbn=9789814583992|pages=120|language=en}}</ref>

[[File:William Paley Natural Theology or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity Title Page 1802.jpg|thumb|Title Page of William Paley's ''Natural Theology or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity'', 1802]]
Paley is also remembered for his contributions to the [[philosophy of religion]], utilitarian ethics and Christian [[apologetics]]. In 1802, near the end of his life, he published  ''[[Natural Theology or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity|Natural Theology; or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity]]'', his last book. As he states in the preface, he saw the book as a preamble to his other philosophical and theological books; in fact, he suggests that ''Natural Theology'' should be read first, so as to build a systematic understanding of his arguments. The main thrust of his argument was that God's design of the whole creation could be seen in the general happiness, or well-being, that was evident in the physical and social order of things. Such a book fell within the broad tradition of [[natural theology]] works written during the Enlightenment; and this explains why Paley based much of his thought on [[John Ray]] (1691), [[William Derham]] (1711) and [[Bernard Nieuwentyt]] (1750).<ref>{{cite book|last=Eddy|first=Matthew Daniel and David M. Knight|title='Introduction', in William Paley, Natural Theology|year=2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford}}</ref>

Paley's argument is built mainly around anatomy and natural history. "For my part", he says, "I take my stand in human anatomy"; elsewhere he insists upon "the necessity, in each particular case, of an intelligent designing mind for the contriving and determining of the forms which organized bodies bear".{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=629}} In making his argument, Paley employed a wide variety of metaphors and analogies.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Eddy|first=Matthew Daniel|title=The Science and Rhetoric of Paley's Natural Theology|journal=Literature and Theology|year=2004|volume=18|pages=1–22|doi=10.1093/litthe/18.1.1}}</ref> Perhaps the most famous is his analogy between a watch and the world. Historians, philosophers and theologians often call this the [[Watchmaker analogy]].  Building on this mechanical analogy, Paley presents examples from planetary astronomy and argues that the regular movements of the [[Solar System]] resemble the workings of a giant clock.  To bolster his views he cites the work of his old friend [[John Law (bishop)|John Law]] and the Dublin Astronomer Royal [[John Brinkley (astronomer)|John Brinkley]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Eddy|first=Matthew Daniel|title=Natural Theology|year=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|pages=Appendix entry on Brinkley}}</ref>

The germ of the idea is to be found in ancient writers who used sundials and Ptolemaic epicycles to illustrate the divine order of the world.  These types of examples can be seen in the work of the ancient philosopher [[Cicero]], especially in his ''[[De Natura Deorum|De natura deorum]]'', ii. 87 and 97.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hallam|first=Henry|title=Introduction to the Literature of Europe, Vol II|year=1847|publisher=Murray|location=London|page=385}}</ref> The watch analogy was widely used in the Enlightenment, by [[Deism|deists]] and Christians alike. Thus, Paley's use of the watch (and other mechanical objects like it) continued a long and fruitful tradition of analogical reasoning that was well received by those who read ''Natural Theology'' when it was published in 1802. ''The Edinburgh Review'', for example, said "As a collection of striking facts and powerful arguments for the existence of a wise and beneficent Creator, this publication is certainly entitled to a very favourable reception.... Dr. Paley's chief excellence consists in the judicious disposition of his forces, and the skill and confidence with which he has extended his array to every point which atheism had affected to menace."<ref>{{cite journal |title=Natural Theology : or, Evidences of the Bxistence and Attributes of the Deity |journal=The Edinburgh Review |date=January 1803 |issue=II |page=304 |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_edinburgh-review-critical-journal_1803-01_1_2/page/304/mode/1up |access-date=2 March 2023}}</ref>