Question

In analyzing the epistemological foundation of nineteenth-century natural theology, historians often cite William Paley’s watchmaker analogy as a monument to static design. Yet a closer reading of contemporary counter-arguments reveals a far more dynamic intellectual landscape. Skeptics like David Hume did not merely dispute the mechanical parallel; they argued that assigning a single, conscious architect to the universe ignored the promiscuous generation of organic forms observed in nature. In Hume’s formulation, nature demonstrates an unconstrained, varied fecundity that resists reduction to a singular, utilitarian blueprint. To interpret Hume’s critique as an endorsement of chaotic randomness, however, misconstrues his rhetorical strategy. He sought not to deny natural order altogether, but to demonstrate that order can emerge through diverse, unguided natural processes rather than a single craftsperson’s design.

In the context of the passage, which of the following best captures the meaning of the word "promiscuous"?