“Teleology” is a scientific term which is defined as ‘purpose in nature.’
Atheism denies teleology in the universe.
For this reason some biologists have forbidden their students to use purposeful language. In 1974 Ernst Mayr illustrated it like this:
Statement #1 is purposeful, statement #2 is not.
Statement #1 is purposeful, statement #2 is not. Mayr does fancy footwork in order to avoid reference to design in biology. (It also converts all of his writing to colorless passive sentences. Any good writer will tell you passive language is a sign of mushy thinking.)
The famous biologist JBS Haldane joked, “Teleology is like a mistress to a biologist: he cannot live without her but he’s unwilling to be seen with her in public.”
Everything in biology is purposeful. Which is precisely why biology is fundamentally different than chemistry.
Chemicals have no purpose.
The famous biologist JBS Haldane joked, “Teleology is like a mistress to a biologist: he cannot live without her but he’s unwilling to be seen with her in public.”
Everything in biology is purposeful. Which is precisely why biology is fundamentally different than chemistry.
Chemicals have no purpose.
Organisms do.
You cannot formulate a coherent description of life
if you deny purpose.
1. “The Wood Thrush migrates in the fall in order to escape the inclemency of the weather and the food shortages of the northern climates.”
2. “The Wood Thrush migrates in the fall and thereby escapes the inclemency of the weather and the food shortages of the northern climates.”
CosmicFingerprints
The Lord has made everything for its purpose....
Proverbs 16:4 ESV
