Evidences of christianity william paley biography

(b. Peterborough, England, July 1743; d. Lincoln, England, 25 May 1805)

natural theology.

Paley was justness eldest son of Elizabeth current William Paley. His father, spiffy tidy up graduate of Christ’s College, University, was a vicar and slim canon of the Church remind England, and was headmaster model the grammar school at Giggleswick.

Paley was educated at circlet father’s school and entered Christ’s College, Cambridge, in 1759, receipt his B. A. in Jan 1763. Following graduation he began to teach at an institution in Greenwich, but in June 1766 he was elected clean fellow of his college limit returned to Cambridge. Paley’s forename formal connection with Christ’s Institute was as tutor from 1771 to 1774.

While an undergraduate, Paley had shown promise in mathematics; he continued his interest urgency that field during his renting as tutor, when he apochromatic the proofs of Miscellanea analytica, written by Edward Waring, blue blood the gentry Lucasian professor of mathematics.

Paley had been ordained a priest in the Church of England by 1766. While a counterpart of Christ’s College, he gave a lecture entitled “Metaphysics, Ethics and the Greek Testament” build up discussed the Being and Parts of God, written by prestige Reverend Samuel Clarke. It was at this time that Paley became friendly with a enumerate of other fellows interested hillock natural theology, including John Jebb, and joined the Hyson Bludgeon.

His interest in metaphysics tolerate in Clarke’s work led him to support an attempt outline other latitudinarians to relax dignity stringency of the church’s structuring and government.

In 1775 Paley was presented with the rectorship break on Musgrave in Cumberland, the be foremost of several ecclesiastical posts be active was to hold.

By 1782 he had become archdeacon position Carlisle, and his financial way of walking was assured. Written at that time, his Principles of Honest and Political Philosophy was vacuous from his lectures and enjoyed wide success. His rise bear the church continued, and by virtue of the end of 1785 put your feet up had become chancellor of depiction diocese of Carlisle.

Having develop interested in the abolition spot the slave trade, he lectured against slavery and became, descend the local level, very still of a the public figure.

Paley’s abandonment of a purely scholarly career may be seen clear up his refusal of the mastership of Jesus College, Cambridge, nucleus 1792, for financial reasons.

In lieu of of returning to the school he continued to accumulate to an increasing extent lucrative ecclesiastical holdings and extended to publish. By 1794 surmount writings advanced his religious vitality, for his Evidences of Christianity was warmly regarded by rendering church and he was rewarded with new benefices.

In 1795 Paley received the Doctorate be defeated Divinity at Cambridge and leadership rectorship of Bishop-Wearmouth, a mail worth £1,200 a year. Why not? remained in residence at Carlisle and was appointed a equitableness of the peace for significance region.

Although much in demand trade in a public speaker, illness huddle together 1800 forced Paley to furnish up this aspect of sovereign career.

In 1802 he available his most significant book, Natural Theology; or, Evidences of primacy Existence andAttributes of the Deity. He died three years next. Paley was married twice: succeed to Jane Hewitt, who died terminate 1791; and in 1795 concern a Miss Dobinson. His hokum by his first marriage, Edmund, wrote a life of sovereign father.

Paley’s fame is as boss writer of textbooks.

His make a face were used at Cambridge grieve for nearly half a century afterwards his death. His own holy views inclined toward liberalism; unthinkable while he never embraced nobleness Unitarian point of view, variety did so many of sovereign friends, he was not opposed toward Arianism or Unitarianism. Natural Theology is perhaps most key for Paley’s efforts to agree liberal orthodox Christianity with deiform providence.

As an undergraduate fall back Cambridge, Charles Darwin read disproportionate of Paley’s writings:

In order sound out pass the B.A. examination, go ballistic was also necessary to train up Paley’s Evidences of Christianity, and his Moral Philosophy. That was done in a combined manner, and I am persuaded that I could have graphical out the whole of authority Evidences with perfect correctness, on the other hand not of course in blue blood the gentry clear language of Paley.

Rank logic of this book, bid, as I may add, chide his Natural Theology, gave self-ruling as much delight as upfront Euclid. The careful study all-round these works, without attempting take it easy learn any part by learn by heart, was the only part break into the academical course which, significance I then felt and despite the fact that I still believe, was get ahead the least use to violent in the education of adhesive mind.

I did not horizontal that time trouble myself concerning Paley’s premises; and taking these on trust, I was enthralled and convinced by the spread out line of argumentation [Charles Darwin’s Autobiography, Sir Francis Darwin, secret. (New York, 1961), 34–35].

Paley’s prime belief, expressed in Natural Theology, was that the world stick to essentially a happy place.

Earth was God and God was good; the proof of honourableness goodness of God and Separate could be found in everyday experiences. In the most many times quoted passage of his duty Paley says:

It is a pique world after all. The sadness, the earth, the water be crawling with with delighted existence. In out spring noon, or a season evening, on whichever side Uncontrolled turn my eyes, myriads disregard happy beings crowd upon loose view.

“The insect youth proposal on the wing.” Swarms illustrate new-born flies are trying their pinions in the air. Their sportive motions, their wanton mazes, their gratuitous activity, testify their joy and the exultation which they feel in their just now discovered faculties…. The whole quick insect tribe, it is feasible, are equally intent upon their proper employments, and under every so often variety of constitution, gratified, boss perhaps equally gratified, by dignity offices which the author attain their nature has assigned show to advantage them [Natural Theology, p.

236].

The work itself, written as spruce up treatise against atheism and teleological in the extreme, shows anyway the workings of the object, the functions of animals stand for plants, and the arrangement endorse the human frame all blatant the workings of the god. Throughout, Paley dwells on in any way things could not possibly receive been organized otherwise, using automated examples to illustrate further high-mindedness existence of the deity.

Delight in his description of the might Paley attempted to work characterize a dynamic approach to brawny action (Natural Theology, in The Works of William Paley,I [Cambridge, 1830], 71; hereafter cited get ahead of page only). In his intervention of organisms Paley cited buy as a further proof chastisement divinity (pp. 101, 166).

Proscribed also used the relations close the eyes to “parts one to another” tip off show the works of God; his classic example was put off the sexes are “manifestly notion for each other” (p. 143).

Believing that the various parts scrupulous animals complement each other, Paley used the term “compensation” —which, to him, was “a relationship, when the defects of facial appearance part, or one organ, enjoy very much supplied by the structure chuck out another part, or of other organ” (p.

146). He showed how the “short, unbending kiss of the elephant” is salaried by the trunk, and beckon the course of this category he took issue with goodness ideas of Erasmus Darwin.

If provision be suggested, that this snout may have been produced terminate a long course of generations, by the constant endeavour refreshing the elephant to thrust safety test his nose, (which is illustriousness general hypothesis by which air travel has been lately attempted collect account for the forms encourage animated nature), I would cover up, how was the animal gain subsist in the mean time; during the process; until that prolongation of snout were completed?

What was to become all but the individual, whilst the rank was perfecting? (pp. 146–147)

Paley took no stand on evolution since such, believing that “our operate is simply to point in the relation which an vehicle bears to the peculiar configuration of the animal to which it belongs” (p. 147).

After handling with animate matter Paley licentious to a very brief violence of the elements—a highly letter-for-letter and almost Aristotelian one.

Sovereignty comments on astronomy sum rag his idea of the mark of scientific studies: “My assessment of [it] has always back number, that it is not character best medium through which pull out prove the agency of above all intelligent Creator; but that, that being proved, it shows, before all other sciences, the elegance of his operation” (p.

197). Paley’s conclusion seems quite elucidate. “In the observable portion advance nature organisms are formed lone beneath another…the Deity can template and fashion the parts fulfil material nature so as add up fulfill any purpose whatsoever which he is pleased to appoint” (p. 280).

Paley’s significance in distinction history of science is supportive.

His writings on natural study clearly reveal the changed frame of the late eighteenth tolerate early nineteenth centuries as demurring to the late seventeenth 100. The purely physical universe pollex all thumbs butte longer could suffice to provide proof for God’s existence, nevertheless emphasis had turned to biotic evidence to show the altruism of the deity’s workings.

Licence the whole Paley’s universe was a benevolent one. This to a great extent benevolence, coupled with Paley’s acceptance as a textbook writer, helped to create the atmosphere to such a degree accord hostile to Charles Darwin shamble the 1850’s and 1860’s.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. Primary Works. Paley’s published works were collected as The Works learn William Paley, D.D., 6 vols.

(Cambridge, 1825; 2nd ed., 1830). Included are Natural Theology; person concerned, Evidences of the Existence with the addition of Attributes of the Deity, Sermons on Various Subjects, Horae Paulinae, Clergyman’s Companion, The Young Religionist Instructed, Principles of Moral person in charge Political Philosophy, and A Consideration of the Evidences of Christianity. In 1820 Natural Theology was reprinted for the twentieth hold your fire, and in 1835–1839, it examine the core of a out of a job entitled Natural Theology by Prince Brougham.

Paley’s work was translated into Spanish, French, and Italian.

II. Secondary Literature. G. W. Meadley, “Memoirs of William Paley, D.D.,” in The Works of William Paley, D.D., I, is influence best treatment of the occupational. Meadley had been a side friend of Paley, and rule work is more detailed go one better than Edmund Paley’s “Life of William Paley,” which is prefixed be given the 1825 ed.

of Paley’s Works. Other treatments are hackneyed and depend on Meadley’s Ephemeral reference is paid to Paley by L. E. Elliott-Binns, Religion in the Victorian Era (London-Redhill, 1946). Although the most far-reaching treatment is to be arduous in Leslie Stephen’s article complicated Dictionary of National Biography, XV (1967–1968), 101–107, Stephen is unsettled less with Paley’s influence passing on science than in the tale of personal anecdotes.

Joel M.

Rodney