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26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 3. Natural Function

[what components of nature are meant to do]

8 ideas
Each thing's function is its end [Aristotle]
Is ceasing-to-be unnatural if it happens by force, and natural otherwise? [Aristotle]
Some words, such as 'knife', have a meaning which involves its function [Foot]
Things are thought to have a function, even when they can't perform them [Sainsbury]
Essence is the source of a thing's characteristic behaviour [Oderberg]
A mummified heart has the teleological function of circulating blood [Polger]
Teleological notions of function say what a thing is supposed to do [Polger]
Rather than dispositions, functions may be the element that brought a thing into existence [Leuridan]