Reference: David Charles, "Teleological Causation in the Physics," in Lindsay Judson, ed., Aristotle's Physics: A Collection of Essays (Oxford, 1991), pp. 101-28).
Charles argues that Aristotle's discussion is neutral or ambiguous between, and in fact runs the risk of conflating, two models of teleological causation:
Purposive Agency Model
Example: Socrates walks after dinner to achieve healthy digestion.
So: Note the role of conscious valuation or perception by the agent in (i) and (iii).
Functional Model
Example:
Camels have multiple stomachs in order to digest their thorny food.
Natural entity N has organ O for the sake of the function (natural end or goal) F iff:
So: Note there is no role for choice or the agent's perception of a good in this analysis.
cfreeland@uh.edu