teleology

American  

[tel-ee-ol-uh-jee, tee-lee-] / ˌtɛl iˈɒl ə dʒi, ˌti li- /

noun

Philosophy.

1. the doctrine that final causes exist.

2. the study of the evidences of design or purpose in nature.

3. such design or purpose.

4. the belief that purpose and design are a part of or are apparent in nature.

5. (in vitalist philosophy) the doctrine that phenomena are guided not only by mechanical forces but that they also move toward certain goals of self-realization.

---

teleology British  

/ ˌtiːlɪ-, ˌtɛlɪˈɒlədʒɪ, ˌtiːlɪ-, ˌtɛlɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. philosophy

   1. the doctrine that there is evidence of purpose or design in the universe, and esp that this provides proof of the existence of a Designer

   2. the belief that certain phenomena are best explained in terms of purpose rather than cause

   3. the systematic study of such phenomena See also final cause

2. biology the belief that natural phenomena have a predetermined purpose and are not determined by mechanical laws

---

Other Word Forms

• teleologic adjective
• teleological adjective
• teleologically adverb
• teleologism noun
• teleologist noun

Etymology

Origin of teleology

From the New Latin word teleologia, dating back to 1730–40. See teleo-, -logy

Explanation

A philosophy of teleology sees purpose in ends rather than stated causes, making the outcome the actual, or "final" cause. When you see things in terms of teleology, you explain actions by their results. We can trace the origin of teleology to the Greeks: to teleos, meaning "complete," and its root telos, meaning "result." Then we add the suffix -logy, which means "logic," or "reason." The philosophy itself suggests that acts are done with a foregone purpose in mind — people do things knowing the result they wish to achieve. As Aristotle said, "Nature does nothing in vain." So far, there's no teleology to explain why you haven't left the couch for several hours.

Example Sentences

In the near future, Teresa is a middle-aged Massachusetts native without a career, a steady paycheck or a corporate teleology.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2023

Martin starts rambling off a list of words: thaumatology, ontology, eschatology, epistemology, phenomenology, teleology, etiology, ontogeny.

From Washington Post • Oct. 12, 2020

According to this logic, people are wired for greed and self-destruction, subject to a teleology as pitiless as that of Anja’s disintegrating eco-house.

From The New Yorker • May 21, 2019

To account for these mysteries, we need radical new theories or principles, perhaps incorporating teleology.

From Scientific American • Jun. 10, 2017

These flippant words were hardly out of my mouth before Francis was off on the dangers of uncritical teleology.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson