Path: utzoo!utgpu!utstat!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!ncar!asuvax!mcdphx!mcdchg!att!chinet!dsueme
From: dsueme@chinet.chi.il.us (dave sueme)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Discovering What Nature Wants
Message-ID: <1989Oct25.023703.13346@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 25 Oct 89 02:37:03 GMT
References: <357@massey.ac.nz> <2376@munnari.oz.au> <2394@uceng.UC.EDU> <1087@oravax.UUCP> <2450@munnari.oz.au> <74519@linus.UUCP>
Reply-To: dsueme@chinet.chi.il.us (dave sueme)
Organization: Navistar Corp
Lines: 29


this hypothesis is generally called "teleology", the "view that developments
are due to the purpose or design that wil be fulfilled by them" (Pocket 
Oxford Dictionary)

I'm not sure I like that definition - an alternative is simply that
nature tends toward some pre-defined end.  Karl Marx's progression
toward Communism is an example of philosophical teleology.

Teleology is highly contrary to orthodox Darwinism, which considers
roaches and men equal as evolutionaly experiments in the quest for
survival.  I'm sceptical about that also - I believe I see an observable
trend toward COMPLEXITY or a higher (greater) degree of "integration" - 
the more complex being embodies a more complete solution to the problem
of adapting to the environment.

maybe.

================================================================================
...chinet.chi.il.us!penl0p!dsueme                 David M. Sueme  

                                                  Attorney at Law
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Philosophers are violent and aggressive persons who, having no army at their
disposal, bring the world into subjection to themselves by means of locking
it up in a system. (Robert Musil)