Essay on the teleological argument

The teleological argument states that the universe shows such complexity that it could not have been created by chance and therefore requires a designer. Aquinas and Paley were 2 philosophers who supported this argument. This is an a posteriori argument.

Firstly, Paley observed the universe and came up with an analogy. Within this he states that if you were walking in the countryside and you found a rock you would simply assume that it had been there for years and no longer wonder about its existence. However, if you found a watch you would react differently. You could realise that the watch had a purpose to tell the time and that its parts fit together. You would also realise that its parts have been ordered in a certain way for the watch to fulfil its purpose. From this you would conclude that the watch had to be designed. Moreover, if the watch had another imaginary function such as to produce other watches, your admiration for the designer would increase.

What Paley was trying to explain from this was that the universe is so complex that there has to be the presence of an intelligent mind to have created it and it…