Teleology

Abstract Teleology is the belief that some things happen, or exist, for the sake of other things. It is the belief that, for example, eyes are for seeing and gills are for breathing. It is the belief that people go to the cinema in order to see films and that salmon swim upstream in order to spawn. The core idea of teleology is thus intuitive enough. Nonetheless, difficult questions arise as we dig deeper into the concept. Is teleology intrinsic or extrinsic—that is, is teleology inherent in its subjects or is it imposed on them from the outside? Does teleology necessarily involve intentionality—that is, does teleology necessarily involve a subject’s cognizing some end, goal, or purpose? What is the scope of teleology—is the concept of teleology, for example, applicable to elements and animals, or only to rational beings? Finally, is teleology explanatory? When we say that salmon swim upstream in order to spawn, have we explained why they swim upstream? When we say that eyes are for seeing, have we explained why we have eyes? This volume explores the development of the concept of teleology from ancient times to the present. It begins in the golden age of ancient Greece with Plato and Aristotle, winds its way through Islamic, Latin, and Jewish medieval traditions, passes into treatments by leading figures of the scientific revolution, and European Enlightenment, and finishes with current debates in contemporary philosophy of biology. Chapter discussions of key figures, traditions, and contexts are enlivened and contextualized by a series of intermittent reflections on the implications of teleology in medicine, art, poetry and music.