The rhetorical strategy of William Paley’s Natural theology (1802): Part 2, William Paley’s Natural theology and the challenge of atheism

Flaherty, Niall O’

doi:10.1016/j.shpsa.2010.03.004

Cited by 19 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 24 publications

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“…In Paley's view, the Deity he worshipped was an omnipresent caretaker 'who had seen fit to impose limits on his own power so that men might know him, and on his benevolence that they might be tried'. 6 Natural Theology was Paley's final book, written in the late 1790s and published three years before his death, and undertaken on the recommendation of Shute Barrington (1734-1826), the Lord Bishop of Durham. The book drew on the latest available scientific and technological knowledge and became a bestseller.…”

Section: Natural Theologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Charles Bell (1774–1842) and Natural Theology

Hughes

Gardner‐Thorpe

2018

J Med Biogr

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Sir Charles Bell, a 19th century surgeon, anatomist and artist, was heavily influenced by the religious practice of Natural Theology, a belief which implied that the world is created by an Intelligent Designer. In the 18th century, William Paley, later Rector of Bishop Wearmouth, wrote the seminal book about Natural Theology. Charles Bell who practised in London and Edinburgh used his artistic skills to underline his teaching of anatomy and surgery. Later, Bell wrote one of the eight Bridgewater Treatises on the Hand. Bell went on to illustrate the final edition of Paley's Natural Theology in which he demonstrated that proof of Design were to be found in the animal frame, reflecting his earlier work on art and human structure. It is concluded that Charles Bell and William Paley's ideals were in harmony with each other, holding the same belief about Creation. This paper argues that Bell's understanding and devotion to Natural Theology allowed him to accurately explain function, realism and expression in the human body, all revealing the direct influence of the Divine Creator.

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Section: Natural Theologymentioning

confidence: 99%