The Watchmaker Analogy

The Watchmaker Analogy, proposed by William Paley, suggests that just as a complex watch implies a watchmaker's design, the natural complexity of living organisms indicates an intelligent creator. Our watches have intricate parts working together perfectly, so their complexity points to purposeful design. Similarly, the complexity and order in nature imply a purposeful designer behind the universe and life. This analogy uses the idea of intentional design to argue that natural complexity is best explained by an intelligent cause rather than chance or random processes.