Resuscitating Paley - 26 June 2009 |
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About 10 years ago I had the privilege of meeting Bruce Winter, the former warden of Tyndale house in Cambridge.
You know how it is when someone says something that sticks with you?
Well, we were talking about science and Christianity, and Bruce said something like this: ‘I think William Paley’s work on design in nature would be worth another look. I have a feeling there’s more to it than some people think.’
William Paley was an 18th-century theologian and naturalist, who argued that the appearance of design in nature implied the existence of a Designer, just as the intricate engineering of a watch implies the existence of a watchmaker. He has been criticised – ridiculed even – by many modern scientists, who have argued that evolution can account for the apparent ‘designed-ness’ of the natural world.
Well, finally someone has brought Paley back to life. And would you believe it, the caricatures painted by unbelieving scientists are, well, caricatures. Paley’s argument from design is just a little more sophisticated than you might think. A lot more sophisticated, actually.
God’s Undertaker, pp. 78-84.
Posted by Steve Jeffery · Topics: Books, God's Undertaker, Minister's Blog