Teleology and Deontology

Teleology

Teleology is an approach to understanding the world which premises final causes, ends and purposes. This term generally describes belief systems in which end purposes are the only way to understand phenomena. Now, this can manifest in how decisions and behaviours are judged. The argument here is that the ends justifies the means, and that acts are not intrinsically right or wrong; they can only be judged by their consequences. Good decisions are those that meet their objectives. Teleology also manifests in arguments of function over form. For example, rather than being able to walk simply because we have legs, the teleological argument is that we have legs because we need to walk, ears because we need to hear, a brain because we need to think. Such function over form arguments actually imply a designer. Cars have headlights so we can see in the dark. It's not a coincidence that they allow us to do it, they are purposely designed that way. So the question is if the natural world is purposefully designed (i.e. we have legs so we can walk), then who's the designer? Well, many would say, 'God of course!' And this is the teleological argument for intelligent design and evidence of God. (Quinn, 20)

Strengths and Weaknesses

In the 1980s my mother had a t-shirt that said 'Shit Happens' - and believe it or not, that pretty much sums up arguments against teleology. There's no plan, no greater purpose, no design, and no designer. History and life might just be a series of random happenings. 'Shit Happens' even covers human existence. Another ice age, a meteor strike, or a mutating virus may have seen evolution take a turn where humans may not have made it into existence. (Ross, 27)

You may not be familiar with the word 'teleology', but you're probably familiar with teleological arguments, like when people say, 'it must be God's will' or 'it may look like a mess, but at least it works'. Oprah Winfrey often calls on teleology when she talks about the need to find out why you were put on the planet. This points to deep-seeded teleological beliefs that permeate human thinking and make the term highly relevant in understanding the construction of knowledge in biological, sociological, psychological, philosophical, and theological realms.

Deontology

The writings of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) represent a significant milestone in modern ethics. Kant's main work was Critique of Pure Reason. However, it was in The Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals that he set forth his views of the foundation of morality. Kant took issue with Hume's view about feeling and with the general position of all hedonists. He argued that moral judgments are not expressions of feeling, but imperatives (commands) and so can be dealt with by reasoning. To those skeptics who say that there is no certainty in moral judgment, Kant replied that it is incorrect to look for certainty in the content of experience. It can only be found in the form of ...