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What is teleology?
Explain what teleology means and why it is important?
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Teleology, considers the final outcome as the result of the events of the present.
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"Teleology (Greek: telos: end, purpose) is the philosophical study of design and purpose. A teleological school of thought is one that holds all things to be designed for or directed toward a final result, that there is an inherent purpose or final cause for all that exists.
As a school of thought it can be contrasted with metaphysical naturalism, which views nature as having no design or purpose. Teleology would say that a person has eyes because he has the need of sight, while naturalism would say that a person has sight because he has eyes."
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-quote-
"Teleology (Greek: telos: end, purpose) is the philosophical study of design and purpose. A teleological school of thought is one that holds all things to be designed for or directed toward a final result, that there is an inherent purpose or final cause for all that exists.
As a school of thought it can be contrasted with metaphysical naturalism, which views nature as having no design or purpose. Teleology would say that a person has eyes because he has the need of sight, while naturalism would say that a person has sight because he has eyes."
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voted helpful: davepamn
What happens when you know the final purpose of design?
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When a person know the final purpose of design, this will greatly affect the present, since it will give the person what will be the sole purpose of his current actions. It will give the person a clear idea of what lies ahead after performing the required action.
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Teleology is a philosophical system which explains natural things in terms of formal and final ends.A teleological explanation either explains a process by the end-state towards which it is directed
I have read an article about teleology during my web search. I am presenting it here. Hope it's useful.
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Teleology is a philosophical system which explains natural things in terms of formal and final ends. Within this system, it is observed that phenomena in nature fulfill functions, attain goals, and achieve purposes. Organelles, cells, organisms, and the harmonious coinciding of the natural constants, all indicate purpose and design in nature.
The roots of teleology stretch back to the foundations of philosophy itself. Pre-Socratic philosophers, and all great thinkers, have addressed the teleological school of thought, whether to espouse it or to dismiss it.
Aristotle, like many of his contemporaries, was preoccupied with the notion of change. He observed change in first, the behavior of living organisms, and second, purposeful human action in that they both move towards achieving ends. Living organisms, through reproduction and growth, always exhibit a striving towards predetermined functions such as an acorn (potentiality) developing into a mature oak tree (actuality).
An organism inherently achieves these ends in order to fulfill its function. For Aristotle, organisms neither have “purposes” in the traditional sense nor attain ends by choice but instead have built-in goal-directed behavior, which he called entelechy. This innate quality of attaining ends is the organism fulfilling its function all for the sake of surviving in its particular environment. Plato, the teacher of Aristotle, also criticized other philosophers for denying or failing to discern final ends.
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---quote---
Teleology is a philosophical system which explains natural things in terms of formal and final ends. Within this system, it is observed that phenomena in nature fulfill functions, attain goals, and achieve purposes. Organelles, cells, organisms, and the harmonious coinciding of the natural constants, all indicate purpose and design in nature.
The roots of teleology stretch back to the foundations of philosophy itself. Pre-Socratic philosophers, and all great thinkers, have addressed the teleological school of thought, whether to espouse it or to dismiss it.
Aristotle, like many of his contemporaries, was preoccupied with the notion of change. He observed change in first, the behavior of living organisms, and second, purposeful human action in that they both move towards achieving ends. Living organisms, through reproduction and growth, always exhibit a striving towards predetermined functions such as an acorn (potentiality) developing into a mature oak tree (actuality).
An organism inherently achieves these ends in order to fulfill its function. For Aristotle, organisms neither have “purposes” in the traditional sense nor attain ends by choice but instead have built-in goal-directed behavior, which he called entelechy. This innate quality of attaining ends is the organism fulfilling its function all for the sake of surviving in its particular environment. Plato, the teacher of Aristotle, also criticized other philosophers for denying or failing to discern final ends.
--end quote---
voted helpful: davepamn
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