Aristotle’s Teleology The world teleology has two parts: telos, meaning end or goal, and logos, meaning a reason. For Aristotle, this “teleological” view on nature played an important part in understanding why objects in nature behave a certain way or possess certain characteristics. In this essay, I will discuss the characteristics of Aristotle’s teleological view and its relevance to modern science and understanding. I will also argue that while his emphasis on the importance of function, or “causes,” for objects still plays a role in science today, Aristotle’s teleological explanations and arguments have shortcomings. Aristotle’s teleological view on nature means a reason exists for the ‘why’ in every object, inanimate and animate, and
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Something’s final cause, or end, is a crucial part of understanding the ‘why’ behind the world. For Aristotle, this view applies to both animate and inanimate objects. An organism’s “end” means exemplifying the essence of that plant or animal. For a domesticated dog, that would mean it would internally tend to being a normal, flourishing dog: it eats, sleeps, plays fetch, and participates in activities that a normal dog does. Similarly, an acorn tends toward the end of becoming an oak tree, and a boy tends toward growing into a man. Aristotle argues that these organisms have “the principle … within them” (Phys. II.1.192b32-33), indicating that the telos inside organisms is an intentional and internal tendency, not something of chance or …show more content…
The unificationist aspect of a good scientific explanation, associated closely with the philosopher Philip Kitcher, provides a unified account of a range of different phenomena and can make connections between phenomena previously thought to be unrelated. Many modern scientists use natural selection and Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution because it is able to consistently and logically explain how organisms and even entire species came to be from the beginning of time. Simply put, natural selection can be described as survival of the fittest, in which the organisms most “fit,” or suited for, the environment, survive and reproduce such that their kin also have favorable traits. This process, along with a few others, make up evolution, in which a species slowly changes overtime to become more fit for its environment and can even make an entirely new
Something’s final cause, or end, is a crucial part of understanding the ‘why’ behind the world. For Aristotle, this view applies to both animate and inanimate objects. An organism’s “end” means exemplifying the essence of that plant or animal. For a domesticated dog, that would mean it would internally tend to being a normal, flourishing dog: it eats, sleeps, plays fetch, and participates in activities that a normal dog does. Similarly, an acorn tends toward the end of becoming an oak tree, and a boy tends toward growing into a man. Aristotle argues that these organisms have “the principle … within them” (Phys. II.1.192b32-33), indicating that the telos inside organisms is an intentional and internal tendency, not something of chance or …show more content…
The unificationist aspect of a good scientific explanation, associated closely with the philosopher Philip Kitcher, provides a unified account of a range of different phenomena and can make connections between phenomena previously thought to be unrelated. Many modern scientists use natural selection and Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution because it is able to consistently and logically explain how organisms and even entire species came to be from the beginning of time. Simply put, natural selection can be described as survival of the fittest, in which the organisms most “fit,” or suited for, the environment, survive and reproduce such that their kin also have favorable traits. This process, along with a few others, make up evolution, in which a species slowly changes overtime to become more fit for its environment and can even make an entirely new