Teleology Definition

tĕlē-ŏlə-jē, tēlē-
teleologies
noun
The study of final causes.
Webster's New World
The doctrine that natural phenomena are determined by an overall design or purpose in nature.
Webster's New World
The use of ultimate purpose or design as a means of explaining phenomena.
American Heritage Medicine
The fact or quality, attributed to natural processes, of being directed toward a definite end or of having an ultimate purpose.
Webster's New World
The study of evidence for this belief.
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Teleology

Noun

Singular:
teleology
Plural:
teleologies

Origin of Teleology

  • Greek teleios, teleos perfect, complete (from telos end, result kwel-1 in Indo-European roots) –logy

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Ancient Greek τέλος (telos, “purpose") + λόγος (logos, “word, speech, discourse")

    From Wiktionary

Teleology Sentence Examples

  • The challenge for any mechanistic theory, then, is to explain the teleology of the human world in non-teleological terms.

  • Darwin himself spent a large part of the later years of his life in thus extending the new teleology.

  • The modern theory of evolution, on the other hand, has reintroduced a scientific teleology of another type.

  • But with the decline of dogmatic belief and the spread of religious doubt - as the special sciences also grow more general, and the natural sciences become more speculative about matter and force, evolution and teleology - men begin to wonder again about the nature and origin of things, just as it was the decay of polytheism in Greek religion and his own discoveries in natural science which impelled Aristotle to metaphysical questions.

  • The final conception of the Kantian philosophy is, therefore, that of ethical teleology.

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Words Starting With

TTETEL

Words Ending With

YGYOGY

Unscrambles

teleology

Words Starting With T and Ending With Y

Starts With T & Ends With YStarts With TE & Ends With YStarts With T & Ends With GY

Word Length

9 Letter Words9 Letter Words Starting With T9 Letter Words Ending With Y