William Paley was an eighteenth-century Christian apologist credited

Question

William Paley was an eighteenth-century Christian apologist credited with developing what is now known as the watchmaker analogy. This analogy has often come under attack for a logical flaw. Paley’s argument followed this reasoning: Suppose a person found a watch lying on the ground and did not know it was a watch. Would the person assume that it simply came into being without some sort of intelligent design? Most likely not. This is because a watch contains a carefully crafted and highly complex series of mechanisms in order to make it work correctly; due to the complexity of its design, it cannot have come into being ex nihilo, or out of nothing, and thus it indicates intelligence and a designer. In the same way, the universe exhibits a carefully crafted and highly complex system. As with the watch, the universe cannot have come into being without intelligence and a designer.

Which of the following logical flaws best expresses the flaw in Paley’s reasoning?

(A) A red herring, or a strategy used to create a distraction
(B) A bad comparison that fails to create a clear similarity between two items
(C) An ad hominem, or personal attack
(D) An appeal to sympathy that uses an emotional quality to make the argument
(E) An appeal to authority that uses the claimed authority of an outside source

Which of the following logical flaws best expresses the flaw in Paley’s reasoning?

(A) A red herring, or a strategy used to create a distraction
(B) A bad comparison that fails to create a clear similarity between two items
(C) An ad hominem, or personal attack
(D) An appeal to sympathy that uses an emotional quality to make the argument
(E) An appeal to authority that uses the claimed authority of an outside source

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Matthyrou · Answer

Hi everyone, to solve this i think the best way is to match arg with the text
(like pay attention of the opposite of the arg or the arg and try to match with the text to solve, let me exempled this)
a) are we creating distraction about complexity and design to see if there is an intelligence behind, no, thus, wrong 
b) are we struggling creating similarity btw both of the exemples, no, thus, wrong
c)are we attacking someone in this text to pass trough smyg? No, thus wrong 
d)here is the real dilemma (btw d and e), because the author is flattering humans by saying that the watched like the universe have some similarty. but is it really flattering because he is not speacking about universe created by human, so to me, wrong 
e)right, is he using the authority (like the process of saying that a whatched is complex, so created by smtg) of a claim from the whatched to apply the same to the universe, yes, thus, right
let me know about this one, because it was tough to me to give you a sounded explanation

Nipunh · Answer

Paley's reasoning relies on an analogy between a watch (a man-made object) and the universe. While a watch is clearly the product of intelligent design, equating the universe to a watch is problematic. The analogy assumes that the complexity of the universe necessarily implies an intelligent designer in the same way that a watch does. However, this comparison fails because the processes that lead to the creation of a watch (human craftsmanship) are not demonstrably analogous to the natural processes of the universe, which include laws of physics and evolutionary mechanisms.

This flawed analogy is the logical error in Paley’s argument. None of the other options (red herring, ad hominem, appeal to sympathy, or appeal to authority) accurately describe the nature of this reasoning flaw.

Answer: Option B

This flawed analogy is the logical error in Paley’s argument. None of the other options (red herring, ad hominem, appeal to sympathy, or appeal to authority) accurately describe the nature of this reasoning flaw.

Answer:  Option B

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Overview:

Question presents information about William Paley, a Christian apologist remembered for developing the watchmaker analogy: if a person came upon a watch and knew nothing about watches, would that person believe the watch to have simply appeared or to have no designer behind it? Paley thought not. Paley argued that a watch contains such complex mechanisms that a person would naturally assume the watch to have an intelligent designer. Similarly, the universe displays a vast complexity, and according to Paley we can assume that it has an intelligent designer as well. The passage notes that Paley’s argument is often thought to be flawed. The question asks the student to identify the flaw in the reasoning by selecting an answer choice that best expresses the nature of the logical fallacy. (The student does not need to know specific details about logical fallacies; within the answer choices there are enough details to help the student select the correct answer.)

The Correct Answer:

B Paley’s analogy is weak because it does not establish a clear comparison between a watch and the universe. In other words, there is not enough similarity between a watch and the universe to create a strong and effective analogy (for instance, a watch is small; the universe is vastly larger; a watch does not last very long, relatively speaking; the universe has existed for a very long time). Answer choice (B) is thus correct.

The Incorrect Answers:

A There is nothing within Paley’s analogy to suggest he is creating a distraction; rather, he is making a specific comparison between two items. Answer choice (A) is incorrect.

C Nothing in the passage suggests that Paley is attacking any person on personal grounds. Answer choice (C) is clearly incorrect.

D Paley uses a comparison between a watch and the universe, but at no point does his argument clearly appeal to the sympathies of others. In this particular example, an appeal to sympathy might consist of an attempt to win over supporters by appealing to religious views. As the passage does not indicate that Paley does this, answer choice (D) cannot be correct.

E Paley does not at any point appeal to any specific authority. An appeal to authority involves a clear appeal to an outside source, such as religious figures or biblical claims. Paley clearly does not do this in the passage. Answer choice (E) is incorrect.

William Paley was an eighteenth-century Christian apologist credited

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GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

William Paley was an eighteenth-century Christian apologist credited

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615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

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