1. Darwin presents a theory of change. Is it teleological? (Does it imply an endpoint towards which it is tending which might be thought of as a ‘purpose’?)
In attempting to assimilate his findings into a greater literary, philosophical, and scientific tradition, Darwin seemed to work relentlessly on a formulation of his theory of natural selection that evoked a telos, related to God or divine providence, in order to explain the rationale behind the evolutionary patterns that he observed on the Galapagos and other islands. This is interesting, because in modern biology, we tend not to think of Darwinism in this light; while survival might be thought of as the "end" to which evolution points, the fact that survival is a neverending process lends itself to a different kind of thinking than, for example, a teleology in which one aims to attain certain characteristics or traits.
Darwin aims to reconcile his treatise with creationism, so he summons God multiple times throughout his work as a kind of mediation between his proposals and the circulations of thought that were already existing in the world. For example, the conclusion references the beauty of the world and its variations as generated by "the Creator," who seems to have created this evolutionary pathway for living being to progress to the greatest good or perfection. It is through reconciliatory acts like these that Darwin best found a way for The Origin of Species to fit into his contemporary academic setting, which was skillful in ensuring the continuation of his train of thought into the present day.
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