Varieties of Teleology

Abstract

This chapter considers the teleological claims made by Plato in his writings, according to which an event or action or natural phenomenon occurs for the sake of some end. Students of ancient philosophy have identified two varieties of teleology: intentional teleology and the teleology of nature. These varieties of teleology do not allow us to understand two important teleological claims present in Plato’s writing. In the ascent passage of the Symposium, the lover of the ascent acts for the sake of understanding the Form of Beauty. In the image of the Cave in the Republic, a prisoner ascends from the cave for the sake of seeing the sun. To understand these cases of acting for the sake of an end that is not intended as a goal, a third variety of teleology is needed. This variety centers on the performance of functions or characteristic activities in the course of action.