- teleology
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
teleology
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Teleology — (Greek: telos : end, purpose) is the philosophical study of design and purpose. A teleological school of thought is one that holds all things to be designed for or directed toward a final result, that there is an inherent purpose or final cause… … Wikipedia
Teleology — • From Greek telos, end, and logos, science Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Teleology Teleology † … Catholic encyclopedia
Teleology — Te le*ol o*gy, n. [Gr. ?, teleos, the end or issue + logy: cf. F. t[ e]l[ e]ologie.] The doctrine of the final causes of things; specif. (Biol.), the doctrine of design, which assumes that the phenomena of organic life, particularly those of… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
teleology — [tē΄lē äl′ə jē, tel΄ēäl′ə jē] n. [ModL teleologia < Gr telos, teleos, an end (see TELO 1) + logia (see LOGY)] 1. the study of final causes 2. the fact or quality of being directed toward a definite end or of having an ultimate purpose, esp. as … English World dictionary
teleology — teleological /tel ee euh loj i keuhl, tee lee /, teleologic, adj. teleologically, adv. teleologism, n. teleologist, n. /tel ee ol euh jee, tee lee /, n. Philos. 1. the doctrine that final causes exist. 2. the study … Universalium
teleology — (Gk., telos, end) The study of the ends or purposes of things. The idea that there is such a thing as the end or purpose of life is prominent in the Aristotelian view of nature (and ethics), and then in the Christian tradition. The theory of… … Philosophy dictionary
teleology — noun /ˈtɛl.iˌɒl.ə.dʒi/ a) The study of the purpose or design of natural occurrences. In short, what every student of biology knows – that within nature there is a teleology having to do with the survival of the species which underpins the… … Wiktionary
Teleology — The study of the ultimate purpose of the design of something in nature. For examples, what is the true purpose of the nose? is a teleological question and, to say that all evolutionary changes occur for a definite purpose is a teleological… … Medical dictionary
teleology — noun Etymology: New Latin teleologia, from Greek tele , telos end, purpose + logia logy more at wheel Date: 1740 1. a. the study of evidences of design in nature b. a doctrine (as in vitalism) that ends are immanent in nature c. a doctrine… … New Collegiate Dictionary
teleology — n. [Gr. teleios, complete; logos, discourse] A theory in biology that evolution or nature is guided by a purpose … Dictionary of invertebrate zoology
