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William Paley's Watchmaker Analogy
Support for the design argument
William Paley was an 18th century Christian philosopher. He is very famous for his development of the watch analogy, which provides support for the design argument.
Paley observed the complexities of the universe, noting how everything works together so perfectly. He concluded that God must exist for this to have happened, it couldn't have occurred by chance.
To prove his point, he drew parallels between the world and his watch.
The watch is so complex, with each part being vital in order for it to function. Every single part of its internal mechanism is so delicately situated, with all parts designed to work perfectly together.
The watch couldn't have just occurred by chance. Rather, it needed a designer, someone to plan it and create it. The watch needs a watchmaker.
He compared the watch to the world, noting the similarities; the complexities of each and how all the parts work together perfectly.
Therefore, he concluded that, just like the watch needs a watchmaker, the world needs a 'world maker.' The only being powerful enough to be a 'world maker' is God.
Therefore, God exists.