Profile Major Works Resources

William Paley, 1743-1805.

Portrait of W. Paley

English theologian, utilitarian and proponent of "natural religion",. 

Educated at Christ's College, Cambridge, William Paley became Senior Wrangler in 1763, the top student in the Cambridge Tripos mathematical exam. He remained on as fellow of Christ's College, becoming tutor in philosophy in 1768.  Paley's lectures, which touched on several economics-related topics, were published as Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy in 1785.  Parts of Paley's book would become incorporated in the famous Tripos examination at Cambridge.

Paley's best-known work is probably his 1802 Natural Theology, a treatise on natural religion with monumental influence on 19th Century British thought, becoming required reading in all universities.  It is here where Paley articulated argument of intelligent design.  Paley articulated the famous allegory that stumbling upon a watch on the ground implies a watchmaker, so too does the complexity of nature imply a Creator.  Paley went on to construct his argument for intelligent design behind scientific laws, thus ranging him in opposition against the 18th C. deists like David Hume.

Paley was a promulgator of the utilitarian system of ethics on the simple idea that as God is benevolent, He must desire the happiness of humans (for such sensations are present in the human animal), ergo it is a human duty to pursue happiness.  By the principle of diminishing marginal utility, Paley argued that a large but poor population might have greater general happiness than a small and rich population.

Paley's natural theology inspired the Earl of Bridgewater to establish, through the Royal Society, the famous publication series of eight volumes, known as the Bridgewater Treatises, to explore and promote the conciliation of natural science and religion.  Thomas Chalmers and William Whewell contributed the first and third book of that series respectively. Charles Babbage's contribution, putatively titled as the ninth, was not commissioned but an independent effort.. 

William Paley was the great grand-father of Mary Paley Marshall.

 

  

top1.gif (924 bytes)Top

Major Works of William Paley

  • [Anon] A Defence of the Considerations on the Propriety of Requiring a Subscription to Articles of Faith, in reply to a late answer from the Clarendon Press, by a Friend of Religious Liberty, 1774 [bk]
  • The Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy, 1785 [bk] [1787 4th ed, v.1, v.2]  [1790 7th ed. v.1, v.2], [1793 9th ed, v.1, v.2], [1799 12th ed.,  v.1, v.2], [1804 15th ed, v.1, v.2] [1811 19th ed, v.1, v.2], [1818, 21st ed, v.1, v.2] [1821 new ed], [1823 Works ed, v.2], [1825 Works, v.4]
  • Horce Paulince, or the truth of the scripture history of St. Paul evinced, by a comparison of the Epistles which bear his name with the Acts of the Apostles and with one another, 1790 [bk] [1796 ed]
  • Reasons for Contentment, addressed to the laboring part of the British public, 1793 [bk]
  • A View of the Evidences of Christianity, in three parts 1794 [1800 7th ed. v.1, v.2], [1836 exam ed] (extract: "Hume on Miracles", text, text)
  • Natural Theology; or, Evidences of the existence and attributes of the Deity, collected from the appearances of nature,, 1802 [1802 2nd ed], [1803 3rd ed], [1811 13th ed] [1813 14th ed.], [1815, 15th ed], [1817 new ed],[1821 Works ed,  v.4], [1825 Works,  v.5], [1824 ed; 1833 US ed, 1841 US ed] (text)
  • Sermons on Several Subjects, Six Sermons on Public Occasions, 1806 [bk] [1818 ed]
  • Works of William Paley, D.D. [1821 ed, v.1, v.2, v.4, v.5] [1823 ed, v.1, v.2, v.3, v.4, .v.5][1825 new ed:  v.1, v.2, v.3, v.4, v.5, v.6, v.7], [1831 ed, complete], [1838 ed., v.1, v.2, v.3, v.4]

 
HET

 
top1.gif (924 bytes)Top

Resources on  William Paley

  • Analysis of Paley's Natural Theology by C.V. Le Grice, 1802 [bk]
  •  "Art 3 - "Paley's Natural Theology", by [Francis Jeffrey], 1803, Edinburgh Review (No. 2, Jan), p.287
  • A Full and Complete Analysis of Dr. Paley's Natural Theology by Jeremiah Joyce, 1807 [2nd ed]
  • Memoirs of William Paley, D.D. by George Wilson Meadley, 1810 [bk]
  • Illustrations of Paley's Natural Theology, by J. Paxton, 1826 [bk]
  • "Life of William Paley, D.D." by Alexander Chalmers, 1821, Works, v.1 (p.i)
  • "The Life of the Author", 1823, Works, v.1, p.v
  • "A Corrected Account of the Life and Writings of W. Paley, D.D.", by Edmund Paley, 1825, Works, v.1, p.1
  • "Brief Memoir of the Author", in 1831, Works, p.iii
  • Paley's Natural Theology with Illustrative Notes, by Henry Brougham and Charles Bell, 1836 v.1, v.2,
  • Dissertation on Subjects of Science connected to Natural Theology, being the concluding volumes of a new edition of Dr. Paley's work,  by Henry Brougham 1839, v.1, v.2 [1853: v.3] [1855 ed]
  • Paley's Moral Philosophy, with Annotations by Richard Whately, 1859 [bk]
  • "Paley, William" in R.H. Inglis Palgrave, editor, 1894-1901 Dictionary of Political Economy [1901 ed.]
  • "Paley, William" in Leslie Stephen & Stephen Lee, editor, 1885-901 Dictionary of National Biography [1908-09 ed]
  • William Paley website by Neil Hitchin
  • Paley entry at Internet Encycl of Philosophy
  • Paley entry at Britannica
  • Wikipedia
 
top1.gif (924 bytes)Top
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All rights reserved, Gonçalo L. Fonseca