Article ID: CBB000831719

Consequence Etiology and Biological Teleology in Aristotle and Darwin (2008)

unapi

Aristotle's biological teleology is rooted in an epigenetic account of reproduction. As such, it is best interpreted by consequence etiology. I support this claim by citing the capacity of consequence etiology's key distinctions to explain Aristotle's opposition to Empedocles. There are implications for the relation between ancient and modern biology. The analysis reveals that in an important respect Darwin's account of adaptation is closer to Aristotle's than to Empedocles's. They both rely on consequence etiological considerations to evade attributing the purposiveness of organisms to chance. Two implications follow: (l) Darwinian explanations of adaptation are as teleological as Aristotle's, albeit differently; and (2) these differences show how deeply resistant Aristotle's version of biological teleology is to descent from a common ancestor.

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Authors & Contributors
Huneman, Philippe
Andrea L. Carbone
Aubin, Nicholas
Solinas, M.
Kerimov, Khafiz
Walsh, D. M.
Concepts
Teleology
Biology
Evolution
Adaptation (biology)
Natural selection
Philosophy of biology
Time Periods
Ancient
19th century
18th century
20th century
10th century
Places
Greece
Europe
Institutions
Oxford University
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