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Single Idea 7368

[filed under theme 26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 2. Natural Purpose / b. Limited purposes ]

Full Idea

In the beginning there were no reasons; there were only causes. Nothing had a purpose, nothing had so much as a function; there was no teleology in the world at all. The explanation is simple: there was nothing that had interests.

Gist of Idea

Originally there were no reasons, purposes or functions; since there were no interests, there were only causes

Source

Daniel C. Dennett (Consciousness Explained [1991], 7.2)

Book Ref

Dennett,Daniel C.: 'Consciousness Explained' [Penguin 1993], p.173

A Reaction

It seems reasonable to talk of functions even if the fledgling 'interests' are unconscious, as in a leaf. Is a process leading to an end an 'interest'? What are the 'interests' of a person who is about to commit suicide?

The 17 ideas with the same theme [aspects of nature are defined by purpose]:

2684 Aristotle needed to distinguish teleological description from teleological explanation [Irwin on Aristotle]
5227 The nature of any given thing is determined by its end [Aristotle]
5866 It is folly not to order one's life around some end [Aristotle]
5086 The nature of a thing is its end and purpose [Aristotle]
5087 A thing's purpose is ambiguous, and from one point of view we ourselves are ends [Aristotle]
5091 Teeth and crops are predictable, so they cannot be mere chance, but must have a purpose [Aristotle]
2800 The best instruments have one purpose, not many [Aristotle]
4826 Nature has no particular goal in view, and final causes are mere human figments [Spinoza]
19376 A machine is best defined by its final cause, which explains the roles of the parts [Leibniz]
2195 We can discover some laws of nature, but never its ultimate principles and causes [Hume]
18237 Without men creation would be in vain, and without final purpose [Kant]
5591 Reason must assume as necessary that everything in a living organism has a proportionate purpose [Kant]
7176 'Purpose' is like the sun, where most heat is wasted, and a tiny part has 'purpose' [Nietzsche]
4422 The end need not be the goal, as in the playing of a melody (and yet it must be completed) [Nietzsche]
7368 Originally there were no reasons, purposes or functions; since there were no interests, there were only causes [Dennett]
6538 We need a notion of teleology that comes in degrees [Lycan]
21045 Teleological thinking is essential for social and political issues [Sandel]