The Blind Watchmaker (Penguin Science)

Plot

The Blind Watchmaker is one of the most well-known theories of evolution.

It addresses questions like is did the world result from planned and intelligent design or natural evolution? What is engendered the diversity of life on earth? Eighteenth century English philosopher William Paley introduced the watchmaker analogy. He stated that in the same way that the inner workings of a watch lead to the conclusion that a watchmaker designed it with a plan, the presence of the many complex organisms prove the existence of an intelligent creator. This book turns this analogy around by saying that it is not a consciously intelligent process, and that it is a natural progression through selective adaptation of species over millions of years, like a blind watchmaker.

The evolution of the eye is used as an example. The eye began as a simple organ that could detect light, shape, and movement and slowly evolved through a series of small adaptive changes, till it reached the stage of the highly sophisticated mammalian eye. More arguments are also presented in the book to prove that life on earth occurred as a result of natural processes.