Lesson 9 –
Final Causality
One of the most important principles of philosophy in the perennial tradition is the view that all the things of nature act for the sake of an end. The world in which we live is not at bottom a world of chance or chaos. Rather, natural things are purpose driven things, and every agent acts for the sake of an end – each according to its own natural kind. Yet many people deny that there is teleology, or final causality, in nature and think modern science confirms their position.
Excerpt from Physics by Aristotle:
We do not ascribe to chance or mere coincidence the frequency of rain in winter, but frequent rain in summer we do; nor heat in the dog-days, but only if we have it in winter. If then, it is agreed that things are either the result of coincidence or for an end, and these cannot be the result of coincidence or spontaneity, it follows that they must be for an end...Therefore action for an end is present in things which come to be and are by nature.
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This episode was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this project are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.
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