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Upper-directed systems: A new approach to teleology in biology

Publication ,  Journal Article
McShea, DW
Published in: Biology and Philosophy
September 1, 2012

How shall we understand apparently teleological systems? What explains their persistence (returning to past trajectories following errors) and their plasticity (finding the same trajectory from different starting points)? Here I argue that all seemingly goal-directed systems-e. g., a food-seeking organism, human-made devices like thermostats and torpedoes, biological development, human goal seeking, and the evolutionary process itself-share a common organization. Specifically, they consist of an entity that moves within a larger containing structure, one that directs its behavior in a general way without precisely determining it. If so, then teleology lies within the domain of the theory of compositional hierarchies. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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Published In

Biology and Philosophy

DOI

EISSN

1572-8404

ISSN

0169-3867

Publication Date

September 1, 2012

Volume

27

Issue

5

Start / End Page

663 / 684

Related Subject Headings

  • Science Studies
  • 52 Psychology
  • 50 Philosophy and religious studies
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 22 Philosophy and Religious Studies
  • 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
 

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McShea, D. W. (2012). Upper-directed systems: A new approach to teleology in biology. Biology and Philosophy, 27(5), 663–684. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-012-9326-2
McShea, D. W. “Upper-directed systems: A new approach to teleology in biology.” Biology and Philosophy 27, no. 5 (September 1, 2012): 663–84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-012-9326-2.
McShea DW. Upper-directed systems: A new approach to teleology in biology. Biology and Philosophy. 2012 Sep 1;27(5):663–84.
McShea, D. W. “Upper-directed systems: A new approach to teleology in biology.” Biology and Philosophy, vol. 27, no. 5, Sept. 2012, pp. 663–84. Scopus, doi:10.1007/s10539-012-9326-2.
McShea DW. Upper-directed systems: A new approach to teleology in biology. Biology and Philosophy. 2012 Sep 1;27(5):663–684.
Journal cover image

Published In

Biology and Philosophy

DOI

EISSN

1572-8404

ISSN

0169-3867

Publication Date

September 1, 2012

Volume

27

Issue

5

Start / End Page

663 / 684

Related Subject Headings

  • Science Studies
  • 52 Psychology
  • 50 Philosophy and religious studies
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 22 Philosophy and Religious Studies
  • 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences