Natural theology was given its clearest modern expression with the 1802 publication of Natural Theology by William Paley. In this work he provides us with an elegant version of the teleological argument for the existence of God; also known as the argument from design.

Suppose, says Paley, we were walking in the forest and happened upon a stone in the path. We probably wouldn't think twice about it and go on about our way. But, suppose that further on we were to happen upon a pocket watch. Clearly our reaction to this would be different. It seems to be out of place. More than that, when we inspect it closely we recognize that it's a mechanism designed to do a specific job. We note its intricate workings and speculate that such intricacy could not have naturally occurred. It must be the product of design and intelligence. The existence of the watch implies the existence of a watchmaker.

Now, "were there no examples in the world of contrivance except that of the eye, it would be alone sufficient to support the conclusion which we draw from it, as to the necessity of an intelligent Creator." In other words, if the watch requires a watchmaker so too the eye must require an intelligent designer. And given the immense complexity of the entire universe and all its intricate working parts, the Creator must be infinitely intelligent and powerful. This constitutes Paley's proof of the existence of God.

In the rest of Paley's work he proceeds to show how each part of the universe, as a separate creation, can be seen as evidence for God. In parts, Natural Theology reads like a science textbook but this is simply Paley's attempt to offer as much detailed evidence as possible for his argument. Given the 18th century scientific revolution it seems only natural to apply the reasoning of science to theology.

Still, not everyone was equally taken with his arguments. Interestingly enough one of his most vocal critics published his remarks a quarter of a century earlier. Of course, David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion was not written as a response to Paley himself but to the growing popularity of natural theology (or natural religion in Hume's words). Paley's work can be seen as an attempt to respond to the criticisms offered by Hume and others. In particular Hume offers six arguments against Paley's proof, most of which deal with the problem of causality and our understanding of it. Remember, Hume was very skeptical about our ability

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