From: jimruttshow8596
The concept of purpose, particularly teleology, in the universe and biological evolution is a complex topic that often causes “a knee-jerk reaction in many scientists” [00:46:02]. However, it can be understood as distinct from a predetermined plan by an external creator [00:37:56].
Understanding Purpose
The traditional understanding of teleology as defined by some sources, implies “that there is purpose for finality in the world… that no complete account of the universe is possible without final reference to an all-wise god” [00:46:16]. However, this is explicitly rejected in a broader view [00:38:06]. Instead, the discussion focuses on a “tendency” within the universe [00:39:09].
For example, it is considered “almost absurd to be reduced to the state of having to say a turtle comes ashore and lays its eggs rather than a turtle comes ashore to lay its eggs” [00:38:38]. This highlights the natural inclination to describe actions in nature with inherent purpose, even if not explicitly stated [00:39:01]. Many biologists “accept that there is purpose [but] they don’t want to say so in public in case they’re accused of bringing in an engineering god” [00:39:01].
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Purpose
A key distinction is drawn between intrinsic and extrinsic purposes [00:40:26]:
- Extrinsic Purpose (Finite Games): These are “games that’s played because there is a goal to this game” [00:39:40], such as potting all billiard balls to win [00:39:45]. The purpose is external and leads to a specific outcome [00:40:40].
- Intrinsic Purpose (Infinite Games): These games “don’t have any interior purpose” but are “absolutely not pointless or purposeless” [00:39:52]. Examples include playing music or a play, where “the process itself is the purpose and the continuing it of it infinitely would be a fulfillment for that purpose” [00:40:09]. In this sense, the purpose lies within the activity or being itself [00:40:59].
Purpose in Animal Behavior
An animal’s daily actions, such as a deer being hungry and seeking food or avoiding danger [00:42:29], represent immediate purposes [00:43:05]. However, the broader purpose of an animal is not just to propagate its genes [00:41:25]. It is “something purposeful about being a deer that it demonstrates one of the ways in which the verb to be can be inflected” [00:43:35]. The essence of a lion’s purpose, for instance, is “just being the lion” [00:44:01]. Play in deer also exemplifies this intrinsic purpose [00:44:07].
Teleology and Evolution
While Darwinian evolution selects for traits that promote reproduction [00:41:56], Darwin himself was said to have “reconciled morphology with teleology” [00:47:07]. This means acknowledging a “tendency for certain outcomes to be more achievable” without predetermining them [00:47:43]. It’s about a drive that draws an entity forward, like an ideal [00:49:51].
The idea of teleology suggests that the universe has “tendencies towards greater complexity” [00:39:14] and beauty, which are hard to understand without some idea of purpose [00:39:17]. The survival value of an individual might even diminish as organisms become more complex, challenging a purely mathematically calculable view of “fitness” [00:45:26].
There seems to be an inherent “drive towards increased complexity in life” [00:56:51], though some life forms can also become simpler, like parasites [00:57:01]. The evolution of the eye, having occurred “12 times separately” [00:55:58], points to certain outcomes being inherently “important” [00:56:00] or having survival value [00:56:23]. This suggests that while specific outcomes might not be predictable (e.g., Homo sapiens might not re-evolve if the “tape of evolution” were replayed [00:55:20]), certain general forms or functions might [00:55:47].
The Universe’s “Potentia”
The universe is seen as “fertile for life at some level and then for consciousness” [01:08:11]. This implies that the cosmos “contains within it the potential for these things to happen” [01:02:10]. This “potentia” [01:08:13] suggests that the universe’s parameters allow for life and consciousness to emerge [01:02:25]. It’s not about a “strong anthropic principle” where an external force “set the settings in such a way that eventually this complex system … lead to something interesting” [00:59:47], nor is it merely a random occurrence among infinite universes (which is considered intellectually unsatisfying [01:00:26]).
Instead, it’s about the universe being such that it “has tendencies which as it were put their hands in the scale makes certain outcomes more common” [01:01:50]. The existence of life “confirms that there is that in potentia in the cosmos” [01:11:00], meaning the universe inherently possesses the capacity for life and consciousness to arise.