Tentative Response - Darwin

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?)

Darwin defines the Conditions Favorable to Natural Selection as those that "will be the most favourable for the production of many new forms of life, likely to endure long and to spread widely" (123). So in a sense natural selection is working for a purpose- to produce animals with traits that will allow them to thrive and multiply. However, it is impossible for evolution to reach a conclusion, or achieve its goal completely. Darwin speaks of natural selection as occurring "under varied circumstances," meaning that the traits that will make a species prosper are also subject to change. I think that we can view natural selection as having a goal but not an endpoint- it works to make organisms better suited to survive and reproduce under whatever the circumstances may be at the current time.