William Paley

This article is about the philosopher and Christian apologist. For the filmmaker, see William C. Paley. For the American media mogul, see William S. Paley.

The Reverend
William Paley
Portrait by George Romney, 1789–1791
BornJuly 1743
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England
Died25 May 1805(1805-05-25) (aged 61)
Bishopwearmouth, County Durham, England
Alma materChrist's College, Cambridge
Known forContributions to moral philosophy, political philosophy, ethics and philosophy of religion
AwardsMembers' Prize, Cambridge (1765)
Scientific career
FieldsNatural theology
InstitutionsGiggleswick 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, 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.

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