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Article: Teleology
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Science and Religion
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Teleology
Teleology,
from the Greek
telos
(purpose), is a term generally thought to have been coined by the German philosopher Christian Wolff in 1728.
Teleology
refers to the science of final causes. In Aristotle's philosophy, there were four sorts of causes, or principles for explaining the nature of things. One of these is the
final cause,
for the sake of which an object exists. Aristotle held that virtually all objects, especially organic objects, have a final cause. It is a principle inherent in them, which disposes them to realize a particular state, which can be seen as the purpose for their existence. It is closely related to the
formal cause,
which is the essential nature ...