Definitions HQ

Teleology (n.) of ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the moral kind first founds a theology, making up for what physical teleology lacks.

Teleology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠neither natural science nor theology but a branch of critique — of the power of judgement.

Teleology (n.) brought ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠to its highest perfection proves not that God exists but only that we cannot conceive such a world without thinking of a cause acting by design.

Teleology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠that nature does not make grass to feed cows, and cows to feed men, she makes grass in order that there should be grass, and so on.

Teleology (n.) meant ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠to supplement the unity of nature ends by doing away with it once a highest ordering being is posited first — then order is foreign and contingent to the nature of things.

Teleology (n.) considers ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠nature as a kingdom of ends to explain what is; ethics regards a possible kingdom of ends as a kingdom of nature, to bring about what is not yet.

Teleology (n.) left ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠to itself tempts reason to extravagant conclusions; aesthetics left to itself risks sliding into mere empiricism and losing its claim to necessity.

Teleology (n.) in ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠nature rests on a bit of mental jugglery: we read the conception of an end into things to make nature intelligible by analogy with ourselves, rather than finding it there.

Teleology (n.) of ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the moral kind needs no God to explain it, any more than the useful properties of geometrical figures need a designer — yet it turns us toward the world in which our ends must be realized.

Teleology (n.) that ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠posits an intelligent cause of the world is a sound maxim for reflection that keeps the door open to mechanism — but made into a claim, it wanders into transcendent regions and goes astray.

Teleology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠brought into nature by our own understanding, which then wonders at a miracle of its own creation — like marvelling that the digits of every multiple of 9 add to 9, when the decimal system set up the surprise.

Teleology (n.) under ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠perverted reason begins with an anthropomorphic highest intelligence and imposes ends on nature dictatorially, instead of seeking them reasonably — a vicious circle that presupposes what ought to be proved.