victoriousvocabulary:

TELEOLOGY

[noun]

any philosophical account which holds that final causes exist in nature, meaning that design and purpose analogous to that found in human actions are inherent also in the rest of nature. In Vitalist philosophy, it is the doctrine which asserts that phenomena are guided not only by mechanical forces but that they also move toward certain goals of self-realisation. The word comes from the Greek τέλος, telos; root: τελε-, “end, purpose”. The adjective “teleological” has a broader usage, for example in discussions where particular ethical theories or types of computer programs are sometimes described as teleological because they involve aiming at goals.

(via magicaleaf)