Telos

Telos (; ) is a term used by philosopher Aristotle to refer to the final cause of a natural organ or entity, or of human art. ''Telos'' is the root of the modern term teleology, the study of purposiveness or of objects with a view to their aims, purposes, or intentions. Teleology is central in Aristotle's work on plant and animal biology, and human ethics, through his theory of the four causes. Aristotle's notion that everything has a ''telos'' also gave rise to epistemology.

In Aristotle

''Telos'' has been consistently used in the writings of Aristotle, in which the term, on several occasions, denotes 'goal'. It is considered synonymous to ''teleute'' ('end'), particularly in Aristotle's discourse about the plot-structure in '' Poetics''. The philosopher went as far as to say that ''telos'' can encompass all forms of human activity. One can say, for instance, that the ''telos'' of warfare is victory, or the ''telos'' of business is the creation of wealth. Within this conceptualization, there are ''telos'' that are subordinate to other ''telos'', as all activities have their own respective goals.

For Aristotle, these subordinate ''telos'' can become the means to achieve more fundamental ''telos''. Through this concept, for instance, the philosopher underscored the importance of politics and that all other fields are subservient to it. He explained that the ''telos'' of the blacksmith is the production of a sword, while that of the swordsman's, which uses the weapon as a tool, is to kill or incapacitate an enemy. On the other hand, the ''telos'' of these occupations are merely part of the purpose of a ruler, who must oversee the direction and well-being of a state.

Moreover, it can be understood as the "supreme end of man's endeavour".

''Telos'' vs ''techne''

''Telos'' is associated with the concept called ''techne,'' which is the rational method involved in producing an object or accomplishing a goal or objective. In the Theuth/Thamus myth, for instance, the section covering ''techne'' referred to ''telos'' and ''techne'' together. The two methods are, however, not mutually exclusive in principle. These are demonstrated in the cases of writing and seeing, as explained by Martin Heidegger: the former is considered a form of ''techne'', as the end product lies beyond (''para'') the activity of producing; whereas, in seeing, there is no remainder outside of or beyond the activity itself at the moment it is accomplished. Aristotle, for his part, simply designated ''sophia'' (also referred to as the ''arete'' or excellence of philosophical reflection) as the consummation or the final cause (''telos'') of ''techne''. Heidegger attempted to explain the Aristotelian conceptualization outlined in the ''Nicomachean Ethics'', where the ''eidos''the soul of the makerwas treated as the ''arche'' of the thing made (''ergon''). In this analogy, the telos constitutes the '' arche'' but in a certain degree not at the disposition of ''techne''.

In modern philosophy

The notion of purpose, or telos, has formed the foundation of cybernetics, and is now part of the modern analysis of social media platforms as intelligent social machines.

Action theory also makes essential use of teleological vocabulary. From Donald Davidson's perspective, an ''action'' is just something an agent does with an intentioni.e., looking forward to some end to be achieved by the action. ''Action'' is considered just a step that is necessary to fulfill human telos, as it leads to habits.

According to the Marxist perspective, historical change is dictated by socio-economic structures (or "laws"), which are simultaneously preconditions and limitations of the realization of the ''telos'' of the class struggle.

See also

* Conatus
* Dysteleology
* Metaphysics
* Plato
* Polytely
* Teleological argument
* Teleonomy

References

External links

Teleological Notions in Biology
''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy''
* Alexander, Victoria N
''Narrative Telos: The Ordering Tendencies of Chance''
Dactyl Foundation.

{{Use British English Oxford spelling, date=February 2018

Action (philosophy)
Aristotelianism
Concepts in ancient Greek metaphysics
Concepts in social philosophy
Philosophy of Aristotle
Teleology