| word | teleological |
|---|---|
| definition | Showing or relating to design or purpose, especially in nature. |
| eg_sentence | Many naturalists object to the teleological view that sees everything in nature as part of a grand design or plan. |
| explanation | Teleology has the basic meaning “the study of ends or purposes.” So Aristotle's famous “teleological argument” claims that anything complex must have a creator, and thus that God exists. And a teleological explanation of evolutionary changes claims that all such changes occur for a definite purpose. But the type of morality called “teleological ethics” doesn't involve God at all: instead, it claims that we should judge whether an act is good or bad by seeing if it produces a good or bad result, even if the act involves harming or killing another person. |
| IPA | ˌtiliəˈlɔʤɪkəl |
Tags: mwvb::unit:19, mwvb::unit:19:word, mwvb::word, mwvb::word-cloze, mwvb::word-reverse, obsidian_to_anki
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