Teleology

Andrew Woodfield (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

244 Seiten

2010
Cambridge University Press (Verlag)
978-0-521-14375-2 (ISBN)

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The notions of purpose, goal, end and function are used (and abused) in descriptions of a very wide range of human, animal and machine behaviour. Andrew Woodfield provides here a unified account of such teleological descriptions and explanations, their varieties, their logical structure and their proper uses. He concentrates his argument on the concepts of 'goal-directed behaviour' and 'natural function', and combines original philosophical criticism with a meticulous, detailed survey of the main competing theories in this diffuse and difficult field.

Preface; Part I. Introduction: what is teleology?; 2. The method of analysis; Part II. Goal-Directed Behaviour: 3. Braithwaite's plasticity theory; 4. Sommerhoff's theory of directive correlation; 5. Charles Taylor's conception to teleology; 6. General assessment of behaviourist theories; Part III. Functions: 7. Functions and ends; 8. Ends and functional explanations; Part IV. Goals: 9. An externalist theory of goals; 10. Internalist theories; 11. The cybernetical approach; Part V. Conclusion: 12. Unifying theory of teleological description; Select bibliography; Index.

Erscheint lt. Verlag	20.5.2010
Zusatzinfo	Worked examples or Exercises
Verlagsort	Cambridge
Sprache	englisch
Maße	140 x 216 mm
Gewicht	320 g
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Erkenntnistheorie / Wissenschaftstheorie
ISBN-10	0-521-14375-6 / 0521143756
ISBN-13	978-0-521-14375-2 / 9780521143752
Zustand	Neuware