Overview

Teleology is the belief that some things happen, or exist for the sake of other things. It is the belief that, for example, salmon swim upstream in order to spawn, and that bears have claws for the sake of catching fish. This volume takes up the intuitive yet puzzling concept of teleology as it has been treated by philosophers from ancient times to the present day. It includes nine main chapters centered on the treatment of teleology in Plato, Aristotle, the Islamic medieval tradition, the Jewish medieval tradition, the Latin medieval tradition, the early modern era, Kant, Hegel, and contemporary philosophy. Each chapter probes central questions such as: is teleology inherent in its subjects or is it imposed on them from the outside? Does teleology necessarily involve intentionality, that is, a subject's cognizing some end, goal, or purpose? What is the scope of teleology? Is it, for example, applicable to elements and animals, or only to rational beings? Finally, is teleology explanatory? When we say that salmon swim upstream in order to spawn, have we explained why they swim upstream? When we say that bears have claws for catching fish, have we explained why bears have claws? The philosophical discussions of the main chapters are enlivened and contextualized by four reflection pieces exploring the implications of teleology in medicine, art, poetry, and music.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jeffrey K. McDonough (Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Philosophy, Harvard University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 22.50cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 14.60cm
Weight:   0.472kg
ISBN:  

9780190845711

ISBN 10:   0190845716
Pages:   320
Publication Date:   22 July 2020
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
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Table of Contents

Introduction - Jeffrey K. McDonough 1. Plato's Teleology - Thomas Kjeller Johansen 2. Teleology in Aristotle - Mariska Leunissen Reflection I: Teleology and Function in Galenic Anatomy - Patricia Marechal 3. Avicenna on Teleology: Final Causation and Goodness - Kara Richardson 4. Teleology in the Later Middle Ages - Robert Pasnau Reflection II: Teleology in Cimabue's Apocalypse Murals at Assisi - Holly Flora 5. Teleology in Jewish Philosophy: Early Talmudists to Spinoza - Yitzhak Melamed 6. Not Dead Yet: Teleology and the Scientific Revolution - Jeffrey McDonough Reflection III: The End of Poetry: Teleology in Philip Sidney's Sonnets - Kathryn Murphy 7. The Revised Method of Physico-Theology: Kant's Reformed Teleology - Paul Guyer 8. Hegel: The Reality and Priority of Immanent Teleology - James Kreines Reflection IV: Decoding the Teleology of Jazz - Anna Harwell Celenza 9. Contemporary Teleology - Patrick Forber

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Author Information

Jeffrey K. McDonough is Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University. He has written numerous articles on philosophy in the early modern era. He is currently working on a book project on the philosophical implications of G. W. Leibniz's work in optics and mechanics.

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