The idea of teleology¶
Mayr, E. (1992). The idea of teleology. Journal of the History of Ideas, 53(1), 117-135.
Cited by¶
1 citation across 1 artifact.
Each citation links to the sentence it supports in the citing article.
Primes¶
- Teleology
- Not mere efficient causation. A falling rock strikes the ground causally, but nothing is done for the sake of anything; teleology requires end-oriented explanation, not mere causal sequence. Not vitalism. Vitalism posits a non-physical vital force animating living matter; modern teleology (especially etiological), as Mayr (1992) argues in his survey of the teleology concept, is compatible with pure physicalism about mechanism.
This sourceSurveys teleological thinking from Aristotle through Darwin, distinguishes teleomatic, teleonomic, and goal-directed processes from non-naturalistic vitalism, and defends a physicalism-compatible reading of biological purpose.
- Not mere efficient causation. A falling rock strikes the ground causally, but nothing is done for the sake of anything; teleology requires end-oriented explanation, not mere causal sequence. Not vitalism. Vitalism posits a non-physical vital force animating living matter; modern teleology (especially etiological), as Mayr (1992) argues in his survey of the teleology concept, is compatible with pure physicalism about mechanism.
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