ArticleBiological theory2023
Teleonomy: Revisiting a Proposed Conceptual Replacement for Teleology.
Article in Biological theory, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Review
- Foundational issues of network models in biology.Biological cybernetics · 2026Review
- What teleology (if any) does the Organisational Approach naturalise?History and philosophy of the life sciences · 2026Article
- Mind Everywhere: A Framework for Conceptualizing Goal-Directedness in Biology and Other Domains-Part One.Biological theory · 2026Article
- The Lady and the Plants: Two Notions of Teleology in Agnes Arber's Philosophy of Plants.Journal of the history of biology · 2024Article
- A network analysis of early arthropod evolution and the potential of the primitive.Scientific reports · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
The concept of teleonomy has been attracting renewed attention recently. This is based on the idea that teleonomy provides a useful conceptual replacement for teleology, and even that it constitutes an indispensable resource for thinking biologically about purposes. However, both these claims are open to question. We review the history of teleological thinking from Greek antiquity to the modern period to illuminate the tensions and ambiguities that emerged when forms of teleological reasoning interacted with major developments in biological thought. This sets the stage for an examination of Pittendrigh's (Adaptation, natural selection, and behavior. In: Roe A, Simpson GG (eds) Behavior and evolution. Yale University Press, New Haven, pp 390-416, 1958) introduction of "teleonomy" and its early uptake in the work of prominent biologists. We then explore why teleonomy subsequently foundered and consider whether the term may yet have significance for discussions of goal-directedness in evolutionary biology and philosophy of science. This involves clarifying the relationship between teleonomy and teleological explanation, as well as asking how the concept of teleonomy impinges on research at the frontiers of evolutionary theory.
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