Teleology pervades aristotle s philosophy, perhaps like no other notion. To explain a phenomenon, aristotle said that one must discover its goal to understand. Consequentialism and teleology bibliography philpapers. Teleological ethics teleological ethics is the ethics of ends or purposes of actions telos end. He describes the highest good that can be applied to all things, especially to natural objects including living and nonliving. Aristotle on teleology oxford aristotle studies monte ransome johnson aristotle on teleology oxford aristotle studies monte ransome johnson monte johnson examines the most controversial aspects of aristiotles natural philosophy.
The word teleology comes from the greek roots telos, which means end, and logos, which means science. Aristotles concept of teleology essay 880 words bartleby. Aristotles concept of teleology in his physics, aristotle examines the theories and ideas regarding nature of his predecessors and then, based upon his own ideas, theories and experiments, argues against what he believes are incorrect conclusions. In the physics aristotle identifies the nature of a thing above all. Aristotle is in this sense the teleologist par excellence. But in many areas aristotles teleology has been successful, and remains influential, for example in adaptationist evolutionary theory, embryology, and genetics.
Here, christian ethics comes into conversation with other ways of thinking about ethics, for all ethical approaches uses one or more of three primary ways of arriving at a moral decision. Hence a young man is not a proper hearer of lectures on political science. Aristotle is commonly considered the inventor of teleology, although the precise term originated in the eighteenth century. One idea that aristotle argues specifically is teleology. Pdf this article examines the most prominent ethical theories from the view point. It is opposed to mechanism, the theory that all events may be explained by mechanical principles of causation. Teleological ethics routledge encyclopedia of philosophy. In the first part, i refer to the questions that have been considered primary for a study of aristotelian teleology, i mention some traits of the currently dominant. For discussion of teleology see the entry on aristotles biology. Aristotles teleology and uexk1tlls theory of living nature the purpose of this paper is to draw attention to a similarity between an ancient and a modern theory of living nature.
Nicomachean ethics5 good judge of that subject, and the man who has received an allround education is a good judge in general. The concept derives from the ancient greek philosophy of aristotle, where the final cause the purpose of a thing is its function. Aristotle on teleology oxford aristotle studies monte. Business ethics, or rather organizations directions, decisions and guidelines to support managers and employees behaviours and practices of business ethics, in the marketplace and the surrounding society is an ongoing timely subject of crucial importance from both managerial and scholarly perspectives. There are a number of passages in aristotle which support the view that he took teleology and natural necessity to be. The view is endorsed, in one form or another, by cooper 1982a, lennox 1982a. Teleology is the study of the ends or purposes that things serve, and aristotles emphasis on teleology has repercussions throughout his philosophy. But in the final analysis, it turns out that there is. The motive for our action, the idea of law or duty so important to deontological ethics are things irrelevant to the idea of goodness. Aristotle says what we should be and do exists within us, we need to cultivate, plato says we need to look beyond us, aspire to know what to do with our lives. Of these the following five principles are especially noteworthy. The name comes from the greek word telos usually translated as end, goal, or aim. Surveying the uses of teleology throughout his philosophy can thus serve as a good introduction to aristotles overall philosophy.
Johnsons book shows also how aristotle s theory has profound implications for environmental ethics and for the theory of value in general. Aristotle on teleology is an important contribution to aristotelian scholarship. Consequentialism is a focal point of discussion and a driving force behind important developments in moral philosophy. In aristotles teleological view of the world, natural things come to be and are present for. There are several aspects or genres of teleology, and ill try to explain a few. Sometimes they are called metaethics, large bundles of ideas about why researchers should be ethical singer, 1986.
In this, he followed plato in seeing purpose in both human and subhuman nature. Because the forms are internal in the way that they are not with aristotle, the harmony of the world has to be preestablished by god. Two different types of ethical theory have been called teleological, however. Nov 21, 2015 in this video we introduce aristotle s ideas on the nature of knowledge, his four causes, and his teleological view of nature. Surveying the uses of teleology throughout his philosophy can thus serve as a good introduction to aristotle s overall philosophy. Moreover, virtue ethics developed by aristotle more than 2000 years ago. Teleological theories and utilitarianism for a long time have served as a basis for. What is morally right is defined by human nature, by our human purpose. Aristotles ethics virtue and happiness teleology and virtue teleology aristotles ethical theory is teleological in nature. Teleological notions in biology stanford encyclopedia of. Teleological ethics, teleological from greek telos, end. Explanation and teleology in aristotles science of nature mariska. Jun 25, 2019 the word teleology comes from the greek roots telos, which means end, and logos, which means science. Whereas much of recent scholarship has focused on uncovering the metaphysical underpinnings of aristotles teleology and its contrasts with his notions of chance and necessity, this book examines aristotles use of the theory of natural teleology in producing explanations of natural phenomena.
Another branch of the teleological strand of ethics is that of being good. Teleology pervades aristotles philosophy, perhaps like no other notion. It can involve biological inquiry, psychological inquiry, economics, sociological inquiry, andor political inquiry. Rather than assessing the value of a given moral action in terms of its own worth, isolated from its context in everyday life, aristotles ethics judges moral actions in terms of their ability to bring about a certain desirable end for both the individual and the society in which that. Teleology from aristotle to kant the philosophy of biology, like all of western philosophy, began with the ancient greeks. Historical background to the interpretation of aristotles. In teleology comprehensively under stood, the moral agent acts in order to bring into being, or to conform action to, certain goals, purposes, or states of affairs. There is no need to present the aristotelian doctrine in full detail. Nicomachean ethics 5 good judge of that subject, and the man who has received an allround education is a good judge in general. It is based on the notion that it is always moral to promote ones own good, but at times avoiding the personal interest. Nicomachean ethics aristotle mcmaster faculty of social. Teleology article about teleology by the free dictionary. The ethical egoism is a teleological theory that posits, an action is good if it produces or is likely to produce results that maximize the persons selfinterest as defined by him, even at the expense of others.
A teleological approach to ethics is based on the concept of seeking a telos in ethical decisionmaking. Virtue ethics shifts the analytical emphasis away from rulebased decisionmaking of deontological ethics or of the consequences of an action eg in utilitarianism towards the ethics of individuals and the ethics of human character. Aristotle believed that the best way to understand why things are the way they are is to understand what purpose they were designed to serve. Devin henry, ancient philosophy a comprehensive and stimulating study on an important topic. Also known as consequentialist ethics, it is opposed to deontological ethics from the greek deon, duty. But in many areas aristotle s teleology has been successful, and remains influential, for example in adaptationist evolutionary theory, embryology, and genetics. But if teleology means the use of ends or goals in natural science, then aristotle was rather a critical innovator of teleological explanation. The most wellknown of these ethical theories is virtue ethics. Recently, the debate has shifted in focus and in style. The teleological component of aristotles ethics is its goal or purposeoriented nature. Aristotle s teleology and uexk1tlls theory of living nature the purpose of this paper is to draw attention to a similarity between an ancient and a modern theory of living nature.
Jul 03, 2014 the teleological component of aristotles ethics is its goal or purposeoriented nature. Aristotles four causes give special place to the telos or final cause of each thing. Aristotle s concept of teleology in his physics, aristotle examines the theories and ideas regarding nature of his predecessors and then, based upon his own ideas, theories and experiments, argues against what he believes are incorrect conclusions. I must rather apologize for repeating much that is well known. From aristotle to soren kierkegaard, jeanpaul sartre, emmy van deurzen and michel foucault. Teleology for our purposes is any philosophical theory concerned with ends and the proper means of attaining those ends. From this point of view aristotle observed the world. Generally, we can speak of two main teleological moral.
Thus teleology is crucial for the political naturalism which is at the foundation of aristotles political philosophy. Like plato he does not look to ethics as something that is focussing on the. Key questions which teleological ethical systems ask include. Aristotles political philosophy is distinguished by its underlying philosophical doctrines. In fact, the term teleology was invented in the eighteenth century to designate the search for evidence of god in purposes, goals, intelligence, and design manifest in nature. In almost every introductory ethics course the student is taught that there are two basic kinds of moral theories. Also known as consequentialist ethics, it is opposed to deontological ethics from the greek deon. Many philosophical theories are put forward as the basis for ethics. The background natural theology is the adaptation of.
Bergson and the aristotelian model of immanent teleology. Demonstrations are thus deductive arguments that produce scienti. What does it mean that aristotles ethics is teleological. As with plato, so with aristotle, the ultimate in explanation, the originally given, is the teleological whole. If teleology means the use of ends and goals in natural science, then aristotle was rather a critical innovator of teleological explanation. Does it exclude or obviate mechanism, determinism, or. Is aristotles ethical theory teleological, as sidgwick and ross thought. Aristotle s political philosophy is distinguished by its underlying philosophical doctrines. Descriptive ethics, therefore, involves the collection of data that relates to moral behavior and the forging of our moral beliefs. Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that involves questions about morality and the perception of good and evil, of right and wrong, of justice, virtue, and vice. Aristotle on teleology by monte ransome johnson oxford aristotle. The natural end of the organism and the means to this end is good for it, and what defeats or impedes this end is bad. Leibniz combines aristotelian teleology in the notion that the nature of a thing provides for its unfolding in a certain fashion with the modern idea that the nature of a thing is within it.
The manifest appearance of function and purpose in living systems is responsible for the prevalence of apparently teleological explanations of organismic structure and behavior in biology. Aristotles teleology in his zoological research aristotle set forth his teleological view of nature that is, he believed organisms developed as they did because they had a natural goal telos 1 in greek, or what we might call an end or a function. Teleology, utilitarianism, and christian ethics 603 states of affairs in which they result. Teleology is the process of explaining something through its function or purpose, rather than what caused it, or the thing itself. Its applications range from elemental theory and chemistry, to psychology, biology, astronomy, ethics and politics. Aristotles teleology and uexk1tlls theory of living nature. Sample by my essay writer aristotle created the argument for the theory that is called teleology, and he looked at it through many of his works. What we ought to do the right is based on the goodness of the end we aim for the good. Although the attribution of function and purpose to living systems is an ancient practice, teleological notions are largely considered ineliminable from.