Abstract
Besides the question “what is the cause?”, one of the most common questions asked by students of biology is: what is the purpose (function)? It is often assumed that if we just knew the purpose or function of a structure or process we would have really understood it.
“But the only real danger to be feared lies in being too easily satisfied with the belief that the last [final] word has been said on this topic”
(Woodger 1967, p. 451)
“Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. You, O worthy one, are perhaps indeed a seeker, for in striving towards your goal, you do not see many things that are under your nose”
(Hermann Hesse: Siddhartha, 1957, p. 113)
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© 1986 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Sattler, R. (1986). Teleology. In: Biophilosophy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71141-1_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71141-1_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-16418-0
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