William Paley
William Paley | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by George Romney, 1789–1791 | |
| Born | July 1743 Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England |
| Died | 25 May 1805 (aged 61) Bishopwearmouth, County Durham, England |
| Education | Christ's College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Natural theology exposition of the teleological argument for the existence of God Watchmaker analogy |
| Awards | Members' Prize, Cambridge (1765) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Moral philosophy, political philosophy, philosophy of religion |
| Workplaces | Giggleswick Grammar School, Christ's College, Cambridge, Giggleswick Parish, Carlisle Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral, Durham Cathedral |
William Paley (July 1743 – 25 May 1805) was an English Anglican clergyman, philosopher, abolitionist and utilitarian. He was at times referred to as a Christian apologist by his critics. He is best known for his natural theology exposition of the teleological argument for the existence of God in his 1802 work Natural Theology or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity, which made use of the watchmaker analogy.