This course is no longer offered

22002 The Role of Teleology in Biology

Credits: 3 graduate credits in Biological Thought

Prerequisite: Admission to the graduate program in Biological Thought

This course, the third of four core courses in the program, is based on two readers edited by Prof. Simona Ginsburg and on books which change from semester to semester.

The aim of the course is to present a unique philosophical problem which characterizes biological phenomena and their analysis. The teleological element in life is the focus of this course, which begins by presenting and analyzing teleological phenomena in general and within the biological sciences, teleological explanations and causal explanations, and the reasons for excluding teleological explanations from the scientific venture. The concept of teleology is traced historically with special reference to Plato and his external cosmological teleology, Aristotle and his immanent naturalistic teleology and Kant's view of teleology. The role of teleology in biology is examined by asking whether Darwinism demoted or merely transformed its status, and by comparing teleological explanations to functionalist or adaptationist explanations. The concept of teleonomy is presented, and various solutions to the problem of teleology are discussed. Finally, the course examines the attitudes of biology teachers in Israel and elsewhere to teleology, and the role of the concept in biology textbooks from the 1950s onwards.