1 WILLIAM PALEY’S DESIGN ARGUMENT: STRENGTHS, CRITICISMS, POSSIBLE REMEDIES, AND OVERALL ASSESSMENT. Design arguments in general are aimed at inferring the existence of God from the observation of empirical properties inherent or present in our experience of the universe. They proceed from at least the physical components of the universe to inferences of a Cause as the best explanation for these components, which Cause is regarded as God. In this essay, I will explain the design argument according to Paley and point out what I consider to be most compelling in it. I will show some criticisms or weaknesses that are possible in the argument. Having done so, I will propose some ways in which the argument can possibly be remedied of these criticisms. I will end by giving my personal evaluation of the argument. Paley’s design argument is generally termed as the ‘watchmaker argument’ in spite of the fact that it is not limited to watches only. The argument concerns artefacts in general which can be observed as demonstrating complexities pointing to their being designed by intelligent agents (humans mostly). According to the argument, human artefacts which we experience around us, such as watches, computers, musical instruments, and so on, display systemic complexities. These complexities in these artefacts do not come by chance; they are the products of the purposefulness with which they are made. This purposefulness comes from their intelligent human designers. In a similar way, the natural living things in the universe demonstrate complex systems of interrelated components, which components appear to possess particular functions contributing to the survival of the whole organism. For example, humans possess many different parts such as arms, legs, eyes, stomachs, which are joined together in such a way that the performance of the unique functions of all parts leads to the wellbeing of the whole