Can someone explain Paley's watch argument?

Question

Is it different than the argument from design?

If it's been proven wrong why is it so popular?

Answer 1

http://www.update.uu.se/~fbendz/nogod/watchmak.htm

A good discussion of the argument, and it's flaws. (As to it's popularity, much like Pascal's Wager most theists do not realize it has been refuted until they try and use it on someone who has studied logic.)

Answer 2

It's not different from the design argument.
In fact, Paley's argument is the original design argument.

Let's say you found a watch in desert.
Paley would ask you, does this watch have a creator?
Obviously yes.
Then Paley would expand this teleological reasoning even to living organisms.

However, the difference between the watching and living things are that watches do not reproduce and living things do.
Living things through thousands and thousands of generations will go through various random mutations and successful mutations will remain surviving.

In conclusion, do not take this argument seriously.

Answer 3

nope, not different. it's the same old "if it LOOKS designed it must BE designed" fallacy

even though it's been shown false, it's still widely used because 1) it's easy to remember, 2) it's simple to understand, 3) it has high "truthiness" value, and 4) that an argument has been debunked will never stop a Creationist from using it

Answer 4

My refutation of Paley's watch is the following:
The watch has a purpose, one which can be identified. It tells time. There is no discernible purpose for life unless you attribute a creator and try to divine his motives. So the universe and life are entirely un-watch-like.

Answer 5

Imagine if God were real and the bible accurate. Imagine two people standing there observing the moment before God created Adam. Poof, God creates Adam.

Observer #1: See, God created Adam.

Observer #2: You idiot, God did not create Adam. Look, Adam is at least 20 years old, so God could not have created him today. Besides, God doesn't even exist. One Day, a man named Darwin will write a book and explain this to you.

Answer 6

Mutations do occur during evolution as a mechanism of intervention. But if one calculates the probability of how such mutations could successively occur in various time scales and lineages to productively produce highly complex and orderly structures living things, they would have to have to have a darn deep faith of such improbability. Mankind cant lie to himself. But some would choose such path.

Answer 7

Religious people routinely, habitually, almost fanatically take comfort in the perpetuation of lies and half-truths.

Answer 8

*hucks watch into forest*
God exists, see?