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Single Idea 12044

[filed under theme 26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 2. Natural Purpose / c. Purpose denied ]

Full Idea

Epicurus alone among the ancient schools denies that in nature we find any teleological explanations. Nothing in nature is for anything, neither the world as a whole nor anything in it.

Gist of Idea

Only Epicurus denied purpose in nature, for the whole world, or for its parts

Source

report of Epicurus (fragments/reports [c.289 BCE]) by Julia Annas - Ancient Philosophy: very short introduction

Book Ref

Annas,Julia: 'Ancient Philosophy: a very short introduction' [OUP 2000], p.89

A Reaction

This may explain the controversial position that epicureanism held in the seventeenth century, as well as its incipient atheism.

The 14 ideas with the same theme [no aspect of nature contains genuine purpose]:

5990 Theophrastus doubted whether nature could be explained teleologically [Theophrastus, by Gottschalk]
5878 Eyes could be used for a natural purpose, or for unnatural seeing, or for a non-seeing activity [Aristotle]
12044 Only Epicurus denied purpose in nature, for the whole world, or for its parts [Epicurus, by Annas]
12125 Teleological accounts are fine in metaphysics, but they stop us from searching for the causes [Bacon]
12730 We will not try to understand natural or divine ends, or final causes [Descartes]
1588 For Spinoza eyes don't act for purposes, but follow mechanical necessity [Roochnik on Spinoza]
1587 Spinoza strongly attacked teleology, which is the lifeblood of classical logos [Roochnik on Spinoza]
12731 Final causes are figments of human imagination [Spinoza]
7648 The sun and rain weren't made for us; they sometimes burn us, or spoil our seeds [La Mettrie]
7195 If the world aimed at an end, it would have reached it by now [Nietzsche]
2905 'Purpose' is just a human fiction [Nietzsche]
5308 The only human purpose is that created by our genetic history [Wilson,EO]
3504 Chemistry entirely explains plant behaviour [Searle]
5501 People are trying to explain biological teleology in naturalistic causal terms [Lycan]