None of this [debate over evolution] gives the slightest hint that we have been anywhere like this before, I mean before Darwin and the fundamentalist backlash ….Actually, much that divides the two sides in the modern United States was already a major source of debate in classical antiquity, pitting theistic and teleological Platonists and Stoics against anti-teleological Epicurean atomists.
A) An old idea in new skin
Or, an idea at the intersection of science and philosophy
Routinely mischaracterized by journalists and cynics, intelligent design is a cooperation of teleological reasoning and the widely accepted foundations of modern science. In addition to making a positive case based on logical and empirical means, ID simultaneously mounts criticisms for atelic ontologies like philosophical materialism and Darwinism .(Demsksi)
Teleology v. Atelic systems (Naturalism/Philosophic Materialism)
What is Teleology
Teleology is the belief (or observation) that things are made to fulfill purposes. A hammer is made to pound nails. (And nobody would disagree that the hammer exhibits teleological attributes.
The question is …do living things display teleological attributes.
None of this [debate over evolution] gives the slightest hint that we have been anywhere like this before, I mean before Darwin and the fundamentalist backlash ….Actually, much that divides the two sides in the modern United States was already a major source of debate in classical antiquity, pitting theistic and teleological Platonists and Stoics against anti-teleological Epicurean atomists. (Essay by
The concept of “formal ends” –
Teleology is a philosophical system which explains natural things in terms of formal and final ends.[1] Within this system, it is observed that phenomena in nature fulfill functions, attain goals, and achieve purposes. Organelles, cells, organisms, and the harmonious coinciding of the natural constants, all indicate purpose and design in nature.
The roots of teleology stretch back to the foundations of philosophy itself. Pre-Socratic philosophers, and all great thinkers, have addressed the teleological school of thought, whether to espouse it or to dismiss it.
http://www.researchintelligentdesign.org/wiki/Telelogy
(from Greek telos, “end”; logos, “reason”), explanation by reference to some purpose or end; also described as final causality, in contrast with explanation by efficient causes only. Human conduct, insofar as it is rational, is generally explained with reference to ends pursued or alleged to be pursued; and human thought tends to explain the behaviour of other things in nature on this analogy, either as of themselves pursuing ends, or as designed to fulfill a purpose devised by a mind transcending nature. The most celebrated account of teleology was that given by Aristotle when he declared that a full explanation of anything must consider not only the material, the formal, and the efficient causes, but also the final cause—the purpose for which the thing exists or was produced. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/585947/teleology
Or, in common English
Why does a thing exist?
Note, to explain how something came to exist is not to explain “why” it exists. “Why” suggests purpose.
Do creatures posses eyes so that they might see, or, do they merely see, because the have eyes.
(or, is the eye a product of thought, or is any eye a product of a purely mechanical process.
Aristotle identified 1) material causes, what something is made of; 2) formal causes, the structure of the thing or phenomenon; 3) efficient causes, the immediate activity producing a phenomenon or object; 4) and final causes, the purpose of whatever object we are investigating. For example, let’s say we want to investigate the “causes” of the Brooklyn Bridge. Its material cause would be encompassed by a description of the physical materials that went into its construction. The formal cause is the fact that it is a bridge across a stretch of water, and not either a random assembly of pieces or another kind of orderly structure (such as a skyscraper). The efficient causes were the blueprints drawn by engineers and the labor of men and machines that actually assembled the physical materials and put them into place. The final cause of the Brooklyn Bridge was the necessity for people to walk and ride between two landmasses without getting wet.
http://www.csicop.org/si/show/design_yes_intelligent_no_a_critique_of_intelligent_design_theory_and_neocr/
* introduce the concept using a rock and grinding stone.
* challenge or add to the concept showing something like a bear claw.
Is it possible to think of anything made by man that does not manifest teleology?
In what sense does purpose demonstrate design (or does it?)
What is the difference between these two statements:
The bird has wings that it may fly.
Because the bird has wings, it can fly.
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