Although the word «teleology» was coined in modernity, the main philosophical claims about it can be traced back to ancient thought. The Greek term «τέλος» («télos») defines the fulfillment of a natural capacity. In philosophy this term is traditionally also referred to as ‘final causality’ and the most frequent translations of télos are goal, end, completion, perfection and function. The very notion of teleology also presents a challenge to philosophical materialism, according to which nature is reduced to homogeneous elements which move in «blind», non-perfective ways or even according to chance. Teleology can also be associated with certain theological frameworks. This use of teleology can be found from Plato’s Timaeus onwards. It means that every goal in nature is due to a god, so it may involve theological concepts such as the providence of a hypothetical demiurge that arranges this world rationally, Christian creation ex nihilo or, in modern times, pre-design theories. These are different version of what I call transcendental teleology.
