Evolutionary Perspectives on Teleology and Teleonomy

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The chapter examines the philosophical debate on teleology and teleonomy in evolution, discussing whether organisms exhibit goal-directed behaviors and activities. It explores the concept of teleonomy, arguing that entities engage in purposeful movements despite natural selection lacking foresight. The dialogue delves into the complexities of agency and goal-directed behavior, touching on the evolution of mental representations of goals and the distinctions between different levels of intentional agency.

Just like with physics, in biology it is perfectly possible to do most respectable work without thinking much about philosophy, but there are unmistakably foundational questions where philosophy becomes crucial. When do we say that a collection of matter (or bits) is alive? When does it become an agent, capable of making decisions? What are the origins of morality and altruistic behavior? We talk with one of the world's leading experts, Samir Okasha, about the biggest issues in modern philosophy of biology.

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Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/07/01/281-samir-okasha-on-the-philosophy-of-agency-and-evolution/

Samir Okasha received his D.Phil. in Philosophy from the University of Oxford. He is currently Professor of the Philosophy of Science at the University of Bristol. He is a winner of the Lakatos Award for his book Evolution and the Levels of Selection, and is a Fellow of the British Academy.

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