Look up: teleology

1. teleology
   [n] - a doctrine explaining phenomena by their ends or purposes
   Found on http://www.webdictionary.co.uk/definitio
   
   
2. teleology
   The view that developments and changes in organisms or systems are due to the purposes, goals, ends, or design served by them (see argument from design). This belief that all evolution is purposive...
   Found on http://www.encyclo.co.uk/local/20688
   
   
3. Teleology
   Teleology: The study of the ultimate purpose of the design of something in nature. For example, '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 explanation of evolution. 'Teleology' comes from...
   Found on http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.
   
   
4. Teleology
   Te`le·ol'o·gy noun [ Greek ..., teleos , the end or issue + -logy : confer French téléologie .] The doctrine of the final causes of things ; specif. (Biol.) , the doctrine of design, which assumes that the phenomena of...
   Found on http://www.encyclo.co.uk/webster/T/21
   
   
5. teleology
   <study> The study of natural phenomena in terms of an overall purpose or design. ... (09 Oct 1997) ...
   Found on http://www.mondofacto.com/facts/dictiona
   
   
6. teleology
   noun (philosophy) a doctrine explaining phenomena by their ends or purposes
   Found on http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/web
   
   
7. Teleology
   • (n.) the doctrine of design, which assumes that the phenomena of organic life, particularly those of evolution, are explicable only by purposive causes, and that they in no way admit of a mechanical explanation or one based entirely on biological science; the doctrine of adaptation to purpose...
   Found on http://thinkexist.com/dictionary/meaning
   
   
8. teleology
   (from Greek telos, `end`; logos, `reason`), explanation by reference to some purpose or end; also described as final causality, in contrast with ... [10 related articles]
   Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/t/21
   
   
9. teleology
   teleology 1. The study of design, ultimate causes, or purposes in natural phenomena. 2. The use of an ultimate purpose or design as a means of explaining phenomena. 3. Belief in or the perception of purposeful development toward an end, as in nature or history. 4. An activity that tends toward, or strives for, the achievement of a goal.
   Found on http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/inf
   
   
10. teleology
    teleology (tel"ēol'ujē, tē"lē–) , in philosophy, term applied to any system attempting to explain a series of events in terms of ends, goals, or purposes. It is opposed to mechanism, the theory that all events may be explained by mechanical principles of cau...
    Found on http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0
    
    
11. Teleology
    (Gr. telos, end, completion) The theory of purpose, ends, goals, final causes, values, the Good (s.). The opposite of Mechanism. As opposed to mechanism, which explains the present and the future in terms of the past, teleology explains the past and the present in terms of the future. Teleology as s...
    Found on http://www.ditext.com/runes/t.html
    
    
12. Teleology
    Teleology is the explanation by reference to ends, purposes, or function, as in, 'Why do you have such big teeth, Grandmama?' - 'All the better to eat you with, my dear!' Aristotle considered teleological explanations to be a particularly illuminating kind of causal explanation, and contrasted them ...
    Found on http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/brow
    
    
13. teleology
    Type: Term Pronunciation: tel′ē-ol′ŏ-jē Definitions: 1. The philosophic doctrine according to which events, especially in biology, are explained in part by reference to final causes or end goals; the doctrine that goals or end states have a causal influence on present even...
    Found on http://www.medilexicon.com/medicaldictio
    
    
14. Teleology
    A `teleology` is any philosophical account which holds that final causes exist in nature, meaning that design and purpose analogous to that found in human actions are inherent also in the rest of nature. The word comes from the Greek τέλος, telos, root: τελε
    Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleology