Teleology in the Ancient World : Philosophical and Medical Approaches

The Ancient Origins Of Teleological Concepts Are Sometimes Either Conveniently Forgotten Or Given A Distorted Appearance. On The One Hand, Ancient Teleology Has Been Obscured By The Theological Cloak Of Creationism. On The Other, Darwinists Have Sometimes Failed To Give Due Consideration To The Variety And Subtlety Of Teleology's Intellectual Antecedents. The Purpose Of This Book Is To Restore The Balance By Looking At The Manifold Ways In Which Teleology In Antiquity Was Viewed. The Volume, Consisting Of Twelve Essays By Leading Authorities In Their Fields, Examines The Ways In Which Teleological Arguments Were Used In Antiquity And How These Discussions Inform And Influence Current Debates On Evolution, Creationism And Intelligent Design. As Well As Examining Philosophical Contributions To The Subject, A Specific Aim Is To Examine Ancient Medical Thinking On This Topic And Its Relationship To Ancient Philosophical Ideas. Machine Generated Contents Note: Pt. I The Socratic Foundations Of Teleology -- 1. Socrates, Darwin, And Teleology / David Sedley -- Pt. Ii Plato And The Platonic Tradition -- 2. Atemporal Teleology In Plato / Samuel Scolnicov -- 3. Teleology And Names In The Platonic And Anaxagorean Traditions / Harold Tarrant -- 4. Why Doesn't The Moon Crash Into The Earth? Platonist And Stoic Teleologies In Plutarch's Concerning The Face Which Appears In The Orb Of The Moon / Jan Opsomer -- 5. Signs And Tokens: Do The Gods Of Neoplatonism Really Care? / John Dillon -- Pt. Iii Aristotle And The Aristotelian Tradition -- 6. Biology And Teleology In Aristotle's Account Of The City / Mariska Leunissen -- 7. Aristotelian Mechanistic Explanation / Monte Ransome Johnson -- 8. The Purpose Of The Natural World: Aristotle's Followers And Interpreters / R. W. Sharpies -- 9. William Harvey: Enigmatic Aristotelian Of The Seventeenth Century / James G. Lennox -- Pt. Iv Teleology In Medicine -- 10. Teleology In Hippocratic Texts: Clues To The Future? / Elizabeth Craik -- 11. The Place Of Disease In A Teleological World-view: Plato, Aristotle, Galen / Philip Van Der Eijk -- 12. Teleology And Necessity In Greek Embryology / R. J. Hankinson. Edited By Julius Rocca, Humboldt-universität Zu Berlin. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 272-288) And Index. Contents 7 Notes on Contributors 10 Preface 12 Abbreviations and Conventions 14 Introduction 18 Part I The Socratic Foundations of Teleology 39 1 Socrates, Darwin, and Teleology 41 Part II Plato and the Platonic Tradition 58 2 Atemporal Teleology in Plato 60 3 Teleology and Names in the Platonic and Anaxagorean Traditions 73 4 Why Doesn’t the Moon Crash into the Earth? 91 5 Signs and Tokens: Do the Gods of Neoplatonism Really Care? 107 Part III Aristotle and the Aristotelian Tradition 119 6 Biology and Teleology in Aristotle’s Account of the City 121 7 Aristotelian Mechanistic Explanation 139 8 The Purpose of the Natural World: Aristotle’s Followers and Interpreters 165 9 William Harvey: Enigmatic Aristotelian of the Seventeenth Century 183 Part IV Teleology in Medicine 214 10 Teleology in Hippocratic Texts: Clues to the Future? 216 11 The Place of Disease in a Teleological World-view 230 12 Teleology and Necessity in Greek Embryology 255 Bibliography 285 Index Locorum 302 General Index 315 This collection provides a comprehensive examination of ancient teleological arguments from philosophical and medical perspectives