Variations on the Watchmaker Analogy

This analogy has been seen as due to Paley (1802) not Anselm, although perhaps the older source has been lost.

Versions of the Watchmaker Analogy:

1. The common version these days says that the watch is found along a path in an empty wilderness. The watch is meant to illustrate arguments ala genetics that only the One God could be the creator, e.g. creator of physical matter. This is like a 'Materialist' version of the Watchmaker Analogy.

2. A second also common version is the version perhaps originally attributed to Anselm, which says that the watch represents the whole universe. In this case, the argument is metaphysical, and aims to show that God is the 'source' and 'secret energy' which animates and ratiocitates existence. This is like a 'Spiritual Ghost' version of the Watchmaker Analogy.

3. Another version of it has that the watch is secret, and cannot be physically seen with the eyes. This may be used to illustrate faith, but the perspective I prefer is that this idea illustrates how the concept of mechanisms can be concealed, as though inherently, and so the mysteriousness of life illustrates the occult power of God. It is the idea that only God would know how life operates. Or, only God could grant power that is factual. This is like a 'Byronic devil' (controller of matter) view of the Watchmaker Analogy.

4. Another view is that there is something special about the watch. The watch might be made of blue glass, or made by angels in Switzerland or something. Here the aim is to appreciate that only God could make such fine handiwork. This is like a materialist view of God.

5. Another view sees the mechanism as a metaphor, specifically an abstract one. The watch is material enough, but the 'mechanism' is somehow abstract. In this view, God is the power which supplies logic to the world. God is the rational force, which is why the universe works, in this view.

6. Another view has it that the watch is incomprehensible. That logic is beneath God, but that God makes things legible for the human mind through things as simple as a watch. In this view, God is much more complicated than humans, but the existence of sensible things is an expression of his goodness and rationality.

7. Another view assumes the world is evil, and interprets the watch as an expression of divine law. Arguing that law is something rational, the Watchmaker Analogy describes law as subverting evil natures, thereby expressing God's desire for ethics.