A Stone And A Watch By William Paley Analysis

William Paley presents a comparison between a stone and a watch to prove his remarks and beliefs concerning the existence of God. He introduces a scenario of himself walking on the beach and bumping into a stone then reflecting verses a scenario of stumbling upon a watch. Starting in Chapter One, Paley explains multiple arguments towards the examination of the watch while the stone would be neglected and believed to have preexisted. He says; “ ignorance of this kind exalts our opinion of the unseen and unknown artists’s skiff, if he be unseen and unknown, but raises no doubt in our minds of the existence and agency of such an artist” (I. Page 2 of 7, Excerpts from William Paley). Paley clarifies that one can believe in the unknown and the unknown

Proceeding that, Paley introduces his second argument that constructs upon believing in the design of the watch. The stone’s design is not of much interest as that of the watch. Since there exists a design, there must be a designer for that matter. Thirdly, the purpose of some parts of the watch might remain unknown; however, the more complex the parts are, the more likely that one would believe in a designer. Since the stone is still and simple, one would ignore the creation in comparison to that of the watch. In addition to all, the completion of the material provokes the thoughts of the designer’s existence. On the other hand, the last three arguments presented summarise in the purpose of believing in a watchmaker. If one does not believe, he will remain unanswered, filled with void, shocked and scared of the unknown. The meaning of the watch is power of a

As he proceeds in discussing an artist’s skill in creating art and beauty, he explains that there must exist some imperfections in the art, yet that exactly should be neglected since one needs to view the full half of the cup. In other words, Paley is expressing his gratitude and appreciation of the world for what it is because creating it was more than enough to pay the price of the little imperfections. Therefore, the world is better than what one thinks it is, and the creator of that world is better and more powerful than what one thinks it is. Paley expands his ideology of creation across the earth saying, “Every observation…may be repeated with strict propriety concerning the eye, concerning the animals, concerning plants, concerning indeed, all the organised parts of the works of nature.” (Page 6 of 7, Excerpts from William