Teleology is the supposition that there is design, purpose, directive principle, or finality in the works and processes of nature, and the philosophical study of that purpose. Teleology stands in contrast to philosophical naturalism, and both ask questions separate from the questions of science. While science investigates natural laws and phenomena, Philosophical naturalism and teleology investigate the existence or non-existence of an organizing principle behind those natural laws and phenonema. Philosophical naturalism asserts that there are no su ...

Including:

• Teleology - Classical Greek teleology
• Teleology - Extrinsic and intrinsic finality
• Teleology - Teleology and modern philosophy

Read more here: » Teleology: Encyclopedia - Teleology

A Christian theological definition of Teleology according to CARM - The Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry:

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Teleology

See also: Teleology, Christianity, Body Mind and Soul)

TELEOLOGY

A doctrine of the final causes of things. For instance, Fundamentalist Xtians prophesy periods over the next few years of "Tribulation" and "Post-Tribulation" but these catastrophic events are unconnected to any purpose other than the resurrection of the faithful and the destruction of the unbelievers. That is, the very Xtian Apocalypse itself is hardly more than an elaborate "Bridge of San Luis Rey." A truly useful teleology would portray a finale in which important elements of the preceding drama were fully resolved in appropriate, satisfying ways. Thus, it is here that Xtianity reveals its ultimate emptiness.

(See also: TELEOLOGY, Magick, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul, )

A teleological argument (or a design argument) is an argument for the existence of God or a creator based on perceived evidence of design in nature. The word "teleological" is derived from the Greek word telos, meaning end or purpose. Teleology, the supposition that there is purpose or directive principle in the works and processes of nature, is concerned only with natural phenomena and is thus distinct from similar arguments such as the formerly common argument that extraterrestrials built the Egyptian pyr ...

Including:

• Teleological argument - The argument
• Teleological argument - Objections and counter-argument
• Teleological argument - First and Second premise
• Teleological argument - Third premise
• Teleological argument - History
• Teleological argument - The watch argument
• Teleological argument - The eye argument
• Teleological argument - The anthropic principle
• Teleological argument - Controversy
• Teleological argument - References and further reading

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The second half of the Critique discusses teleological judgment. This way of judging things according to their ends (telos: Greek for bullseye) is logically connected to the first discussion at least regarding beauty but suggests a kind of (self-) purposiveness. Kant writes about the biological as teleological, claiming that there are things, such as living beings, whose parts exist for the sake of their whole and their whole for the sake of their parts. This allows him to open a gap in the phenomenal world: since these "organic" things cannot be brought under the rules that apply to a ...

See also:

Critique of Judgment, Critique of Judgment - Foundations, Critique of Judgment - Aesthetics, Critique of Judgment - Teleology, Critique of Judgment - Influences

Read more here: » Critique of Judgment: Encyclopedia II - Critique of Judgment - Teleology

Plato summarized the argument for teleology as follows in Phaedo, arguing that it is error to fail to distinguish between the ultimate Cause, and the mere means by which the ultimate Cause acts: "Imagine not being able to distinguish the real cause from that without which the cause would not be able to act as a cause. It is what the majority appear to do, like people groping in the dark; they call it a cause, thus giving it a name that does not belong to it. That is why one man surrounds the earth with a vortex to make the heave ...

See also:

Teleology, Teleology - Classical Greek teleology, Teleology - Extrinsic and intrinsic finality, Teleology - Teleology and modern philosophy

Read more here: » Teleology: Encyclopedia II - Teleology - Classical Greek teleology

Krishna - The Loveable Hero-God

The Ekashloki Bhagavatam encapsulates his entire life in one stanza, the Krishna-shtakam attempts to define him in eight couplets, the Madhurashtakam describes him as the Emperor of Sweetness, the Gita Govinda immortalises his love, Vyasa's Srimad Bhagavatam details his glories.

Iconised as a hero-god, Krishna has charmed poets, philosophers and devotees for the last 3,500 years.

Read more here: » Krishna: The Loveable Hero-God - Krishna

The Critique of Judgment (Kritik der Urteilskraft, 1790), also known as the third critique, is a philosophical work by Immanuel Kant. Critique of Judgment - Foundations. Immanuel Kant's Critique of Judgment (Kritik der Urteilskraft, 1790), also known as the third critique, simultaneously completes Kant's Critical project and lays the foundations for modern aesthetics. The standard English translation is the one made by James Creed Meredith, though recently Paul Guye ...

Including:

• Critique of Judgment - Foundations
• Critique of Judgment - Aesthetics
• Critique of Judgment - Teleology
• Critique of Judgment - Influences

Read more here: » Critique of Judgment: Encyclopedia - Critique of Judgment

Telic, i.e. a purposeful or defined action may refer to: Grammatically, indicating telicity A central argument of Teleology says that the world has clearly been constructed in a purposeful telic rather than a chaotic manner, and must therefore have been made by a rational being, i.e. God Operation Telic, the codename for the British military participation in the 2003 Iraq War. the TELIC Movement: Teaching Everyone Love In Community A movement to create a community based on love and unity with ...

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Free will is the philosophical doctrine that holds that our choices are ultimately up to ourselves. The phrase "up to ourselves" is vague, and, just like free will itself, admits of a variety of interpretations. Because of this ambiguity, the utility of the concept of free will is questioned by some. Several logically independent questions can be asked about free will. Free will - Determinism versus indeterminism. Determinism holds that each state of affairs is necessitated (determined) by the states of aff ...

Including:

• Free will - Determinism versus indeterminism
• Free will - Moral responsibility
• Free will - Compatibilist theories and the could-have-done-otherwise principle
• Free will - The science of free will
• Free will - Neurology and psychiatry
• Free will - Determinism and emergent behaviour
• Free will - In theology
• Free will - In Christian thought
• Free will - In Jewish thought

Read more here: » Free will: Encyclopedia - Free will

Consequentialism is the belief that what ultimately matters in evaluating actions or policies of action are the consequences that result from choosing one action or policy rather than the alternative. Consequentialism - Defining consequentialism. Following Broome (Weighing Goods: Equality, Uncertainty and Time, Blackwell,1991), it is common to hold that a moral theory counts as Consequentialism if and only if it fulfills two conditions: (1) Teleology (2) Agent-neutrality Consequentialism is te ...

Including:

• Consequentialism - Defining consequentialism
• Consequentialism - Varieties of consequentialism
• Consequentialism - Consequences for whom
• Consequentialism - What kinds of consequences
• Consequentialism - Consequentialism contrasted with other moral theories
• Consequentialism - Bibliography

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The cosmological argument is an argument for the existence of God. It is also known as the first cause argument for the existence of God, or the prime mover argument. There are three versions of this argument: the argument from causation in esse, the argument from causation in fieri, and the argument from contingency. Cosmological argument - Origins of the argument. Thomas Aquinas, the most famous philosopher of the Middle Ages, adapted an argument he found in his reading of Aris ...

Including:

• Cosmological argument - Origins of the argument
• Cosmological argument - The argument
• Cosmological argument - A more detailed version of the argument
• Cosmological argument - Critique and Objections
• Cosmological argument - Scientific positions

Read more here: » Cosmological argument: Encyclopedia - Cosmological argument

Historical and modern Deism is defined by the view that reason, rather than revelation or tradition, should be the basis of belief in God. Deists reject both organized and revealed religion and maintain that reason is the essential element in all knowledge. For a "rational basis for religion" they refer to the cosmological argument (first cause argument), the teleological argument (argument from design), and other aspects of what was called natural religion. Deism has become identified with the classical belief that God created ...

Including:

• Deism - Overview
• Deism - Deism and prayer
• Deism - 18th century popularity
• Deism - Appellations for divinity
• Deism - Decline in popularity
• Deism - Current status

Read more here: » Deism: Encyclopedia - Deism

The watchmaker analogy is often used as a teleological argument (argument from design) in support of the view that the universe (or features of it) are the product of a conscious designer or designers. Watchmaker analogy - History. Monotheists have suggested: if we find a watch in a field, it is too complex to have appeared there by natural process so they assume that there must be a watchmaker responsible for its creation. Similarly, the argument goes, life is extremely complex and requires a creato ...

Including:

• Watchmaker analogy - History
• Watchmaker analogy - The watchmaker analogy before Paley
• Watchmaker analogy - William Paley
• Watchmaker analogy - After Paley
• Watchmaker analogy - Solar System Analogy
• Watchmaker analogy - The case against the watchmaker analogy
• Watchmaker analogy - Bad Design

Read more here: » Watchmaker analogy: Encyclopedia - Watchmaker analogy

High Magick is the practice and study of esoteric disciplines specifically designed to complete the Great Work. The Great Work cannot be easily defined, but suffice it to say here that it entails the union of Spirit and Matter. Qabalah, Alchemy, and certain ceremonial ritual systems such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and Aleister Crowley's A∴A∴ are some examples of high magick. All magick that does not have for its aim the completion of the Great Work is "Low" magick. Usually, these forms of magick are practiced in order to effect changes in material, emotional, or mental states. Low Magick is a pragma ...

Read more here: » High Magick: Encyclopedia - High Magick

Purpose is deliberately thought-through goal-directedness. According to some philosophies, purpose is central to a good human life. Helen Keller wrote that happiness comes from "fidelity to a worthy purpose", and Ayn Rand wrote that purpose must be one of the three ruling values of human life (the others are reason and self-esteem). Some people think that God assigns purposes to people and that it is their mission to fulfill them. Others say that purpose is not inherent, but instead freely chosen (or not chosen) by individuals. ...

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An explanation is a statement which points to causes, context and consequences of some object (or process, state of affairs etc.), together with rules or laws which link these to the object. Some of these elements of the explanation may be implicit. Explanations can only be given by those with understanding of the object which is explained. In scientific research, explanation is one of three purposes of research (other two being exploration and description). Explanation is the discovery and reporting of relationsh ...

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A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. A modern watchmaker is more likely to repair a wristwatch or a pocketwatch than to actually create a watch from scratch. A skilled watchmaker can typically manufacture many of the parts found in a watch. Historically, in England, watchmakers would have to undergo a seven year apprenticeship and then join a guild, such as the Clockmakers' Company ...

Including:

• Watchmaker - Watchmaker as metaphor

Read more here: » Watchmaker: Encyclopedia - Watchmaker

Change, the quality of impermanence and flux, has had a chequered history as a concept. In ancient Greek philosophy, while Heraclitus saw change as ever-present and all-encompassing, Parmenides virtually denied its existence. Ovid produced a classic thematic handling of change as metamorphosis in his Metamorphoses. Ptolemaic astronomy envisioned a largely static universe, with erratic change confined to less worthy spheres. Medieval thought fostered great respect for authority and revelation, s ...

Including:

• Change - See Also

Read more here: » Change: Encyclopedia - Change

Dialectical monism is an ontological position which holds that reality is ultimately a unified whole, distinguishing itself from monism by asserting that this whole necessarily expresses itself in dualistic terms. For the dialectical monist, the essential unity is that of complementary polarities which, while opposed in the realm of experience and perception, are co-substantial in a transcendent sense. In simpler terms, the view can be summarized thus: "All in two, two in one, one in All." Dialectical monism - Principles ...

Including:

• Dialectical monism - Principles
• Dialectical monism - History
• Dialectical monism - Modern interpretation
• Dialectical monism - Chapter 42 of the Dao De Jing

Read more here: » Dialectical monism: Encyclopedia - Dialectical monism