Final_cause

Final cause or telos, is one of Aristotle\'s four forms of causation (the others being material, formal, and efficient). It is defined as the purpose, the good, or the end of something. For example, the final cause of a pen is great writing. The word telos is often used among many ethicists today as it reflects the ancient meaning.

In Science

In science, final causes contrast with mechanical causes, which in Aristotle\'s language, mainly encompass material causes and efficient causes. Over time, many rejected the idea of a final cause, or the study of the good, because of there was too much disagreement. Machiavelli focused mainly on the material causes, and rejected the search for final causes as too difficult for most people. Although science has historically focused mostly on material causes, there has been some discussion and exploration of final causes in a scientific context, especially when studying systems at a macroscopic level. The laws of thermodynamics can be interpreted as a final cause,J.S. Wicken, Causal Explanations in Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics, Philosophy of Science, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Mar., 1981), pp. 65-77 and this perspective is useful for explaining the spontaneous origin of new levels in a hierarchy.[1] S.N. Salthe, "The Spontaneous Origin of New Levels in a Scalar Hierarchy", Entropy 2004, 6, pp. 327-343 Ecologist Robert Ulanowicz argues that positive feedback in ecosystems can have effects which appear at a local level to be the result of a final cause.[2] R.E. Ulanowicz, Aristotelean Causalities in Ecosystem Development , Oikos, Vol. 57, No. 1 (Feb., 1990), pp. 42-48 It has also been argued that Darwin\'s theory of evolution by natural selection is an appeal to a final cause, and not a mechanical cause, and is thus teleological.[3] T.L. Short, Darwin\'s concept of final cause: neither new nor trivial, Biology & Philosophy, Springer Netherlands, ISSN: 0169-3867 (Print) 1572-8404 (Online), Volume 17, Number 3 / June, 2002, pp. 323-340

References

See also

• Teleology
• Purpose

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