Natural Theology Illustrated

This beautifully illustrated work is a companion to the classic book Natural Theology by William Paley. Paxton's detailed and vivid illustrations bring Paley's arguments for the existence of God to life. An excellent resource for scholars and students of theology and natural philosophy. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Paley's examination of Christian theology identifies and attributes aspects of human physiology to divine creation, arguing that the appearance of man itself is a basis upon which we can determine the existence of God. This edition includes the author's anatomical illustrations. The book commences with the famous watchmaker analogy - the proposition that if you find a watch, you must assume there is a watchmaker. Going further, Paley points out that such a maker must have specifics of design in mind, and intentions for his creation. It follows therefore that all animals and humankind, as complex organisms, are creations; the middle chapters of the book sequentially examine aspects of human and creature anatomy which support this assertion. Paley conducts a wide-ranging investigation, wherein plants, birds, insects, mammals, humans and others are shown to be peculiar and thus a part of God's creation. The distinctness of certain organs, the valves of the heart, the intricacy of the skeletal musculature, and - in insects - the stings of wasps and probosces of bees, are cited in support of the overarching argument. Finally the astronomical heavens are mentioned as a sign of the creator's dazzling and intricate ability. The later chapters of the book are more overtly theological in tone; in particular, Paley is concerned with the personality of God. What attributes the creator might have, how great his abilities of planning and arrangement are, and how his being is essentially good since his creations can experience happiness and enjoy their existences. In the modern day, Natural Theology continues to be consulted both by creationists and by those seeking to understand the arguments of creationism. It is also read by modern scientists and atheists, that they may understand and counter the creationist arguments they disagree with.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Aristotle's cosmological argument is the foundation of Aquinas's doctrine of God. For Thomas, the cosmological argument not only speaks of God's existence but also of God's nature. By learning that the unmoved mover is behind all moving objects, we learn something true about the essence of God-principally, that God is immobile. But therein lies the problem for Thomas. The Catholic Church had already condemned Aristotle's unmoved mover because, according to Aristotle, the unmoved mover is unable to be the moving cause (i.e., Creator) and governor of the universe-or else he would cease to be immobile. By seeking to baptize Aristotle into the Catholic Church, however, Thomas gave his life to seeking to explain how God can be both immobile and the moving cause of the universe. Thomas even looked to the pantheistic philosophy of Pseudo-Dionysius for help. But even with Dionysius's aid, Thomas failed to reconcile the god of Aristotle with the Trinitarian God of the Bible. If Thomas would have rejected the natural theology of Aristotle by placing the doctrine of the Trinity, which is known only by divine revelation, at the foundation of his knowledge of God, he would have rid himself of the irresolvable tension that permeates his philosophical theology. Thomas could have realized that the Trinity alone allows for God to be the only self-moving being-because the Trinity is the only being not moved by anything outside himself but freely capable of creating and controlling contingent things in motion.