OCR A-Level Philosophy Practice Exam 2025 – Complete Exam Prep

The complexity of the human eye, as discussed by William Paley, supports the idea that it was designed by an intelligent creator. Paley uses the famous analogy of a watchmaker to illustrate his argument in his work "Natural Theology." He argues that just as a watch, with its intricate parts functioning together to tell time, implies a watchmaker, so too does the complex structure of the human eye imply a designer. The eye's ability to see, with its sophisticated mechanisms for focusing light and processing images, indicates that it could not have arisen by chance or through a random process. Instead, it points to purposeful design, which for Paley is evidence of the existence of a higher intelligence or God as the creator of such complexity. This perspective stands in contrast to views that emphasize random evolution, natural selection, or processes without intent, which do not account for the apparent purpose and complexity in biological structures according to Paley's reasoning.