Linked from

The 20 pages that link to Teleology, each with the reason it gives.

• AristotleRelated: Aristotle treats natural development as directed toward characteristic ends.

• Natural lawRelated: Some natural-law accounts connect moral norms to the purposes of human capacities.

• Structural functionalismRelated: Functional explanations risk circularity when an institution's existence is explained only by its supposed effects.

• Whig historyRelated: Whig narratives make later outcomes appear to have directed earlier events.

• Historical determinismRelated: A predetermined destination can make history seem necessary even when its causes are disputed.

• Alfred AdlerRelated: Adler interpreted behavior through its apparent aims, not only its past causes.

• Theistic evolutionRelated: Theistic evolution must clarify whether evolutionary history has divine purpose without requiring biological foresight.

• OrthogenesisRelated: Orthogenesis was often read as goal-directed evolution, though an inherent trend need not imply conscious purpose.

• Philosophy of natureCompared with: It contrasts with explanations that describe nature solely through efficient causes.

• Tinbergen's four questionsCompared with: Adaptive function describes effects shaped by selection, not a future goal causing behavior.

• Aristotle's biologyNarrower topic: Aristotle’s explanations of bodily parts exemplify biological teleology.

• Gaia hypothesisCompared with: Gaia can sound purpose-driven, though its scientific versions rely on feedback rather than foresight.

• Mechanism (philosophy)Compared with: Teleological explanations invoke purposes that mechanistic accounts seek to replace with efficient causes.

• AnaxagorasRelated: Anaxagoras’s Nous suggests an intelligent source of order, though his explanations often rely on physical causes.

• James LovelockCompared with: Gaia is often misunderstood as claiming Earth or life consciously aims to maintain suitable conditions.

• Teleological argumentNarrower topic: The argument’s name and central intuition rely on interpreting natural features as purpose-directed.

• Carl RitterRelated: Ritter interpreted Earth’s arrangement as meaningful for human development.

• Function (biology)Narrower topic: Biological function language can sound goal-directed even when no conscious purpose is involved.

• Hermann LotzeRelated: Lotze allowed purposive interpretation without replacing scientific causal explanations.

• Evolution (general usage)Compared with: Evolutionary change need not be directed toward a predetermined goal.