teleology en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌtɛliˈɑləd͡ʒi/ (General-American)
- /ˌti-/ (General-American)
- /ˌtiːliˈɒləd͡ʒi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (General-American) audio
- /ˌtɛ-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Partly borrowed from French téléologie and from German Teleologie + English -logy (suffix denoting a branch of learning or study of a particular subject). Téléologie and Teleologie are both derived from Late Latin teleologia, from Ancient Greek τέλεος (téleos) (the genitive singular of τέλος (télos, “final cause, purpose”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to turn end-over-end; to revolve around, hence, to dwell, sojourn”)) + Latin -logia (suffix denoting the logical discourse or study of a subject) (from Ancient Greek -λογῐ́ᾱ (-logĭ́ā, suffix denoting a branch of learning or study of a particular subject), from λόγος (lógos, “that which is said or thought; subject matter”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to collect, gather”)) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns)). By surface analysis, teleo- (prefix meaning ‘end, goal, purpose’) + -logy.
Meanings
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(uncountable) The study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences, that is, of such occurrences being the result of intention instead of prior causes.
The received intellectual tradition has it that, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, revolutionary philosophers began to curtail and reject the teleology of the medieval and scholastic Aristotelians, abandoning final causes in favor of a purely mechanistic model of the Universe.
2008, Monte Ransom Johnson, “Historical Background to the Interpretation of Aristotle’s Teleology”, in Julia Annas, Lindsay Judson, editors, Aristotle on Teleology (Oxford Aristotle Studies), Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, part I (Teleology as a Critical Explanatory Framework), pages 23–24:
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(broadly, uncountable) The study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences, that is, of such occurrences being the result of intention instead of prior causes. ▸ Design, final purpose, or intention in a natural occurrence; (countable) an assertion or instance of this.
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 distinction between the two sexes and produces between them a natural affinity for one another – no surgeon who knows what is good for him may now say.
2011 April 17, Paul A[nthony] Rahe, “Truths You Cannot Utter”, in Ricochet, archived from the original on 27 Mar 2022:Their proposed explanation at the time was riddled with teleology.
- (uncountable) The belief or theory that a natural occurrence is the result of divine design or intention rather than the laws of nature or science; theoteleology; (countable) a particular belief or theory of this sort.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| teleologies | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
teleologically · theoteleology · teleologic · teleologism · teleologist · dysteleology · teleological
Relateds
Translations (76)
ga teileolaíocht (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · oc teleologia (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · ja 目的論 (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · ca teleologia (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · ru телеоло́гия (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · ckb ئاکامباوەڕی (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · eu teleologia (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · cy teleoleg (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · it teleologia (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · ky телеология (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · cs teleologie (design, final purpose, or intention in a natural occurrence; an assertion or instance of this) · ga teileolaíocht (design, final purpose, or intention in a natural occurrence; an assertion or instance of this) · vi cứu cánh luận (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · ro teleologie (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · tr erek bilimi (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · cy dibenyddiaeth (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · pl teleologia (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · id teleologi (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · io teleologio (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · kk телеология (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · hy տելեոլոգիա (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · fi teleologinen selitys (design, final purpose, or intention in a natural occurrence; an assertion or instance of this) · nl teleologie (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · sh teleològija (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · war teleolohiya (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · ka ტელეოლოგია (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · de Teleologie (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · nl teleologie (design, final purpose, or intention in a natural occurrence; an assertion or instance of this) · ca teleologia (design, final purpose, or intention in a natural occurrence; an assertion or instance of this) · sh телеоло̀гија (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · az teleologiya (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · cmn 目的論 /目的论 (design, final purpose, or intention in a natural occurrence; an assertion or instance of this) · be тэлеалогія (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · ar غائية (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · fi teleologia (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · bg телеология (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · bn উদ্দেশ্যবাদ (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · fr téléologie (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · am ሥነ-ዕላማ (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · ia teleologia (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · mk телеологија (design, final purpose, or intention in a natural occurrence; an assertion or instance of this) · eo teleologio (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · is markhyggja (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · fa غایتانگاری (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · cs teleologie (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · tr teleoloji (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · pt teleologia (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · hi उद्देश्यवाद (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · uk телеологія (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · ko 목적론 (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · vi mục đích luận (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · es teleología (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · he טלאולוגיה (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · pl teleologia (design, final purpose, or intention in a natural occurrence; an assertion or instance of this) · ru телеоло́гия (design, final purpose, or intention in a natural occurrence; an assertion or instance of this) · nl doelmatigheidsleer (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · nn teleologi (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · el τελεολογία (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · da teleologi (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · la teleologia (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · gl teleoloxía (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · cmn 目的論 /目的论 (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · sk teleológia (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · uz teleologiya (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · sv teleologi (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · cy bwriadeg (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · et teleoloogia (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · fi teleologia (belief or theory that a natural occurrence is the result of divine design or intention rather than the laws of nature or science; a particular belief or theory of this sort) · nb teleologi (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · mk телеологија (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · fi tarkoitusoppi (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · af teleologie (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · pt teleologia (design, final purpose, or intention in a natural occurrence; an assertion or instance of this) · hu teleológia (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · cy bwriadaeth (study of the design or final purpose of natural occurrences) · pl teleologia (belief or theory that a natural occurrence is the result of divine design or intention rather than the laws of nature or science; a particular belief or theory of this sort)
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