Questions tagged [teleology]
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Kant's "interpret them as divine commands" remark
I was thinking about the idea of teleological/natural-law ethics as founded in the will of a divine power, and I thought that there would be (A) a purpose that this power had set for Itself alongside (...
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If we used √OB and √𝓐 operations, could we have a demi-is/demi-ought proposition that bridged full "is" with full "ought"?
The insight that the teleological ethicist seems to have is that final causality is a type of the moral law in the Kantian sense (from the second Critique):
... the moral law has no faculty but the ...
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Does the Introduction of Teleology into Ethical Discourse Solve Hume's Is/Ought Problem?
For Hume, no one could describe objective reasons for thinking that a man ought to do something generally, becuase there was no way to derive an ought from an is. But, if a classical view of causality ...
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What is a functional relationship?
By a "functional relationship" I mean "the way" a part of a system interacts with the rest of the system. In a certain sense it "doesn't matter" how the part of the ...
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How to understand "type-which-corresponds-to"?
In the comment on How do we define this?, user g s wrote a deleted comment indicating that things could be defined using "type-which-corresponds-to" (exact quote from memory). They followed ...
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Could deities/multiverses be the empty/trivial solutions to, "How and why does our universe exist in the way it does?"
Note: I am loosely following Nicholas Rescher (Axiogenesis) here, by qualifying "the existence of this world" as "the existence of this specific world," where, "Why is there ...
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Are only human beings capable of rationally intentional acts?
Max Horkheimer's 1947 book The Eclipse of Reason argued that over the course of history, the conception of reason shifted from the objective - the Greek idea that reason qua logos governs the Cosmos - ...
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What's the difference between teleology and teleonomy?
So, Teleology is
According to the Cambridge Dictionary:
the belief that everything has a special purpose or use
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
a doctrine (as in vitalism) that ends ...
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What is the difference between anti-teleology and deontology?
In regards to ethical positions, what is anti-teleology, and how is it different from deontology? Are they opposites or is their relationship of another sort?
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The philosophical analysis of creating and implementing good ideas?
There are projects with great ideas, but poor implementation; and there are mediocre ideas, but are well implemented.
What sort of philosophy and which philosophers, if any, address this phenomenon?
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Natural purposes vs. right actions
Consider the following thought experiment:
Since he was born, Sam has had an extra organ in his body, let's call it a quirble. Whenever Sam does something objectively wrong, even if he doesn't know ...
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What is the difference between control exerted by an agent and causation?
I have my own thoughts about this. Am I on the right track or is there some real philosophy that defines the concept of control differently?
In a regular cause & effect scenario the cause ...
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What is a "disorder"?
The is-ought gap makes it so we can not derive an ought from an is, correct? Without teleology, how can there be such a thing as a "disorder" or "disability"? The word "...
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Can a moral theory be eudaemonological but not teleological?
Aristotle's moral theory is said to be both eudaemonological and teleological. But what is the difference between these two concepts?
If a moral theory is eudaemonological, then happiness/beatitude is ...
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What philosopher regarded the end and purpose of human life to be in relationships with other individuals?
I remember in my undergrad being taught about some philosopher who regarded the whole end and purpose of human existence to be primarily that of relationship with other people. I dont remember if he ...
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Bayesian reasoning regarding perceived unlikely outcomes
So this is a Bayesian question in words first and then I'll try to put a little mathematical meat on it. Admittedly, this will eventually be about teleological reasoning, but I would like you to just ...
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Is Bernard William's argument for equality a teleological argument?
Bernard Williams wrote in his essay “The Idea of Equality”:
Leaving aside preventive medicine, the proper ground of distribution of medical care is ill health: this is a necessary truth. Now in ...
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Intentionality and teleology in scientific research
As far as I understand, phenomenology suggests that all concrete objects are investigated not as they stand (noumena) but as phenomena. This investigation depends on consciousness intentionality (...
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Moral nihilism & teleology
Can one be a moral nihilist and hold teleological beliefs at the same time? More specifically, can I be a moral nihilist, whilst also being a utilitarian? And further, is teleology a branch of moral ...
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Marx and teleology : what has happened, what will happen, or what could happen?
In Marxism the idea of history being a process with determinable characteristics is raised. History here being the relations of economic life and social reproduction, and the cultures they give rise ...
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If purpose is just another side of cause, is everyone a consequentialist?
Purpose is just another side of cause. This is what I take as a premise. One might change "cause" by "reason" sometimes, both are related.
Every non-randomistic process has some end after which this ...
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Aristotle's middle point between teleological eliminativists and teleological intentionalists
I'm reading an introduction to Aristotle's theory of causation, Aristotle by Christopher Shields, and I understand that he says that Aristotle's view of final causes is between teleological ...
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Can purpose be attributed to events without grounding in agency
As observers we observe events around us. All events have causes, either deterministic causes or non-deterministic ones. As observers however we can additionally attribute purpose (or meaning as in ...
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Is there teleology in (modern) science?
Teleology (the research of a phenomenon according to its "finality", its end-goal) is a subject that's often controversial (at least to my knowledge), and I'm not sure I've seen it in science (more ...
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Any contemporary supporter Hartmann's vitalizm?
Eduard von Hartmann's view of vitalizm follows a little twist of Schelling’s combination of vitalizm and mechanism. I like his approach for vitalizm view of evolution theory, and it's interesting to ...
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The perverted faculty argument
There are a few philosophers who still push the “perverted faculty argument” to prove that contraception, homosexual acts and masturbation are immoral. This argument is based on classic natural law, ...
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A simple mathematical example for pseudo-teleology
The Lagrangian formulation of mechanics seems to be an interesting example for 'pseudo-teleology': a particle at starting position (a, b) with final position (x, y) will take the path of smallest ...
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Good Introductions to Kants Critique of Judgment
Can somebody recommend any? I have come across Wicks & Hughes so far, but I am finding it very difficult. I am also finding it incredibly difficult reading through the Critique itself. Any advice ...
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Where does the philosophical community stand on the eternal universe hypothesis?
Universal eternality has been entertained for millenia. However, from my reading and to my understanding, the idea of an infinite universe has met considerable criticism over the past century. The ...
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Would I be correct in assuming that all* things have a 'best'? [closed]
My friend and I broke into an argument because I said that there was a best opening chess move. He clearly didn't agree with me and after much debate I came to the conclusion/theory that:
For any ...
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How can teleological explanations not fit with modern science?
Source: Prof Michael Sandel, Justice: ..., Episode 09: "ARGUING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
52:21: We grew up and and we’re talked out of this way thinking about the world.
52:30: But here's a question: ...
user8572
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What's the force of Leibniz' worry in "The Ultimate Origin of Things"?
In "The Ultimate Origin of Things," Leibniz' motivates his claim that
nothing in the world could be the ultimate reason for things
by asserting that
We can’t find in any
individual thing, ...
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Is the teleological argument for God completely refuted?
Teleological arguments for the existence of God have a long history and straddle Greek Antiquity (Platos Divine Artificer), Islam (Averroes) and Christianity (Aquinas) and currently and most famously ...
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Does having a positive teleology require an entity that has intention exist?
One of the criticisms of Aristotle's final cause category is that if a thing has a purpose, there must exist some entity that has intention to set up that cause. Generally speaking, skeptical ...
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Does science reject Aristotle's final cause?
To quote from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
Here Aristotle recognizes four types of things that can be given in answer to a why-question:
The material cause: “that out of which”, e.g., ...