teleology

Advancedzipf 1.90

Pronunciation

/ˌtɛliˈɒlədʒi/(tel-ee-OL-uh-jee)

Part of speech

nounformal/philosophy

Chinese

目的论（以目的或结果解释事物的理论）

Definition

The philosophical doctrine that things exist or happen for a purpose; explanation of phenomena by the purpose they serve rather than their cause.

Word family

  • teleological/ˌtɛliəˈlɒdʒɪkəl/(adj)目的论的
  • teleologically/ˌtɛliəˈlɒdʒɪkli/(adv)以目的论的方式

Collocations

  • teleological argument
  • teleological ethics
  • teleological explanation
  • natural teleology

Examples

  1. 1.The teleological argument for God's existence reasons that the complexity of the universe implies a designer. (argument from purpose)
  2. 2.Darwin replaced teleology with natural selection — species don't evolve toward a goal; they adapt to survive. (purpose-based explanation)

Synonyms

  • finalism (the doctrine that everything has a final purpose) — teleology is the standard philosophical term

Etymology

from Greek "telos" (end, purpose) + "logos" (study) — the study of ends and purposes