Re: Lizard engines and rat engines

in article dan9t3$1k9n$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Perplexed in Peoria at
jimmenegay@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 7/8/05 6:39 PM:

> To my mind, this toleration of final cause explanations in biology is
> exactly the thing that separates biology from the physical sciences.
> Teleology simply cannot be expunged from biology. If we attempt to do
> so, we impoverish the science.

In a way, I think that Biology has taken the lead on this perspective and
that the (other) physical sciences are in the process of embracing the
utility and validity of the teleological stance. In my view, this is being
developed out of thermodynamics, which is certainly about the attribution of
final cause. The revolution in the paradigm here requires a restatement of
the second law, although there are also many proponents of articulating a
fourth law. The difference is subtle in my estimation, but also profound.
Rather than having a second law that merely limits the scope of potential
outcome of a dynamic process to those that do not decrease the entropy of a
closed system (IMHO this is code for the universe as a whole), many
physicists are coming to appreciate a law that favors the emergence of
systems that increase the RATE of entropy gain in closed systems through
self-organization. This conjecture (to avoid over-assertion) about
thermodynamics mimics the notion that natural selection favors changes in
biological populations that increase fitness, and has enormous implications
for all the sciences. It also implies a sort of natural teleology, because
it suggests that dynamic systems ultimately exist for the purpose of
increasing the rate of universal entropy gain.

Guy Hoelzer


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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Lizard engines and rat engines
    ... > "efficient cause" explanation of magnetic fields. ... > exactly the thing that separates biology from the physical sciences. ... Haldane once quipped that "teleology is like a mistress to a biologist. ...
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