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Teleonomy
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Teleonomy is the quality of apparent purposefulness and of goal-directedness of structures and functions in living organisms that derive from their evolutionary history and adaptation for reproductive success.
The term was coined to stand in contrast with teleology, which applies to ends that are planned by an agent which can internally model/imagine various alternative futures, which enables intention, purpose and foresight.
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Encyclopedia
Teleonomy is the quality of apparent purposefulness and of goal-directedness of structures and functions in living organisms that derive from their evolutionary history and adaptation for reproductive success.
The term was coined to stand in contrast with teleology, which applies to ends that are planned by an agent which can internally model/imagine various alternative futures, which enables intention, purpose and foresight. A teleonomic process, such as evolution, produces complex products without the benefit of such a guiding foresight.
Evolution largely hoards hindsight, as variations unwittingly make "predictions" about structures and functions which could successfully cope with the future, and participate in an audition which culls the also-rans, leaving winners for the next generation. Information accumulates about functions and structures that are successful, exploiting feedback from the environment via the selection of fitter coalitions of structures and functions. Teleonomy is related to past effects instead of present purpose.
History
In 1958, C.S. Pittendrigh applied the term to biology The funny thing about this is that 'Aristotelian teleology' does not conceive of goals as an 'efficient causal principle' at all, but explicitly contrasts teleological explanations with efficient causal explanations; in this Pittendrigh displays a common confusion about the view that he is allegedly rejecting. A simple perusal of Christopher Shields' Aristotle would serve to dispel such confusions.
In 1962, Grace A. de Laguna's "The Role of Teleonomy in Evolution" fleshed the applicability of the term to biological history and adaptation.
In 1965 Ernst Mayr cited Pittendrigh and criticized the last few words cited above for not making a “clear distinction between the two teleologies of Aristotle”; evolution involves Aristotle's material causes and formal causes rather than efficient causes. Mayr adopted Pittendrigh’s term, but supplied his own definition:
In 1966 George C Williams approved of the term in the last chapter of his Adaptation and Natural Selection'; a critique of some current evolutionary thought. In 1970, Jacques Monod, in Chance and Necessity, an Essay on the Natural Philosophy of Modern Biology, suggested teleonomy as a key feature that defines life:
In 1974 Ernst Mayr illustrated the difference in the statements:
‘The Wood Thrush migrates in the fall in order to escape the inclemency of the weather and the food shortages of the northern climates’.
‘The Wood Thrush migrates in the fall and thereby escapes the inclemency of the weather and the food shortages of the northern climates’.
Subsequently philosophers like Ernest Nagel further analysed the concept of goal-directedness in biology and by 1982, philosopher and historian of science David Hull joked about the use of teleology and teleonomy by biologists :
Although Aristotle believed the world as a whole has a purpose and is teleologically guided, his ancient closing argument could be taken as a statement about teleonomy given modern understanding of adaptation and feedback as "nature's craft":
Current Status
Teleonomy is closely related to concepts of emergence, complexity theory and self-organizing systems. It has extended beneath biology to be applied in the context of chemistry. Some philosophers of biology resist the term and still employ "teleology" when analyzing biological function and the language used to describe it., while others endorse it.
See also
Further reading
- Allen, C., M. Bekoff, G. Lauder, eds., Nature’s Purposes: Analyses Of Function and Design in Biology. MIT Press, 1998. (ISBN 0-2625-1097-9)
- Mayr, E., What Makes Biology Unique?: Considerations on the Autonomy of a Scientific Discipline, Cambridge University Press, 2004. (ISBN 0-5218-4114-3).
- Ruse, M. Darwin and Design, Harvard University Press; 2004. (ISBN 0-6740-1631-9)
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