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Not all features of a car contribute to efficient transportation—some features are added for esthetic or other reasons. But as long as a feature is added because it exhibits certain properties—such as appeal to the esthetic preferences of potential customers—it may be explained teleologically. Nevertheless, there may be features in a car, a knife, or any other man-made object that need not be explained teleologically.

That knives have handles may be explained teleologically, but the fact that a particular handle is made of pine rather than oak might simply be due to the availability of material. Similarly, not all features of organisms have teleological explanations.

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Go to Evolution Topic Index

Teleology and Teleological Explanations

Evolution: Topic Index
The Darwinian Revolution
Darwin's Discovery: Design without Designer
Natural Selection as a Directive Process
Natural Selection as a Creative Process
Natural Selection as an Opportunistic Process
Chance and Necessity
The Compatiblity of Teological and Causal Explanations
Coda: Science as a Way of Knowing

Source:

Dr. Francisco Ayala
Dr. Francisco Ayala

Bibliography

See also:

Genetics
Evolution
The Relation of Science & Religion
Purpose and Design
The Argument From Design
The Anthropic Principle
Opinions
Charles Darwin
Galileo
Copernicus
Sir Isaac Newton
DNA Double-Helix