A functional naturalism

Nguyen, Anthony

doi:10.1007/s11229-018-02002-x

Synthese

2018

DOI: 10.1007/s11229-018-02002-x

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A functional naturalism

Anthony Nguyen

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Cited by 2 publications

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“…One reason why this has not abated is that attempts to reduce teleology to more fundamental forms of physical causation have failed to convince many of the wisdom of such strategy (e.g. Bedau, 1991, 1992; Deacon, 2012; Deacon & Cashman, 2013; Gilson, 1984; Hacker, 2007; Jacobs, 1986; Jonas, 1966; Kenny, 1988; Thompson, 2007; Koutroufinis, 2013; Walsh, 2015; Nguyen, 2021). In fact, there is a general consensus that attempts to explain teleology using mechanistic, cause-and-effect explanations have largely failed, and that such attempts will not succeed in the future.…”

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On the naturalisation of teleology: self-organisation, autopoiesis and teleodynamics

García-Valdecasas

2021

Adaptive Behavior

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In recent decades, several theories have claimed to explain the teleological causality of organisms as a function of self-organising and self-producing processes. The most widely cited theories of this sort are variations of autopoiesis, originally introduced by Maturana and Varela. More recent modifications of autopoietic theory have focused on system organisation, closure of constraints and autonomy to account for organism teleology. This article argues that the treatment of teleology in autopoiesis and other organisation theories is inconclusive for three reasons: First, non-living self-organising processes like autocatalysis meet the defining features of autopoiesis without being teleological; second, organisational approaches, whether defined in terms of the closure of constraints, self-determination or autonomy, are unable to specify teleological normativity, that is, the individuation of an ultimate beneficiary; third, all self-organised systems produce local order by maximising the throughput of energy and/or material (obeying the maximum entropy production (MEP) principle) and thereby are specifically organised to undermine their own critical boundary conditions. Despite these inadequacies, an alternative approach called teleodynamics accounts for teleology. This theory shows how multiple self-organising processes can be collectively linked so that they counter each other’s MEP principle tendencies to become codependent. Teleodynamics embraces – not ignoring – the difficulties of self-organisation, but reinstates teleology as a radical phase transition distinguishing systems embodying an orientation towards their own beneficial ends from those that lack normative character.

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On the naturalisation of teleology: self-organisation, autopoiesis and teleodynamics

García-Valdecasas

2021

Adaptive Behavior

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Origins of biological teleology: how constraints represent ends

García-Valdecasas,

Deacon

2024

Synthese

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To naturalize the concept of teleological causality in biology it is not enough to avoid assuming backward causation or positing the existence of an inscrutable teleological essence like the élan vital. We must also specify how the causality of organisms is distinct from the causality of designed artifacts like thermostats or asymmetrically oriented processes like the ubiquitous increase of entropy. Historically, the concept of teleological causality in biology has been based on an analogy to the familiar experience of purposeful action. This is experienced by us as a disposition to achieve a general type of end that is represented in advance, and which regulates the selection of efficient means to achieve it. Inspired by this analogy, to bridge the gap between biology and human agency we describe a simple molecular process called autogenesis that shows how two linked complementary self-organizing processes can give rise to higher-order relations that resemble purposeful dispositions, though expressed in terms of constraints on molecular processes. Because the autogenic model is described in sufficient detail to be empirically realizable, it provides a proof of principle demonstrating a simple form of teleological causality.

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A functional naturalism

Cited by 2 publications

References 27 publications

On the naturalisation of teleology: self-organisation, autopoiesis and teleodynamics

On the naturalisation of teleology: self-organisation, autopoiesis and teleodynamics

Origins of biological teleology: how constraints represent ends

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