> Thanks for the clarification. I never heard that definition of teleological
> before. So, basically then, teleological means that there is a learning
> feedback loop (more generally, a negative feedback loop in a self-regulating
> system). I was under the impression that teleological meant that the
> processes of change (or development) in a system move toward an inherently
> pre-determined outcome.
>
> Bill Haller
Development is full of feedback regulation. If by 'teleology' you
mean something like Aristotlean 'final causes' without any regulatory
mechanisms ('efficient causes') to reach the 'final causes', then
certainly biology rejects 'teleology' in that (vitalist) sense.
BTW, the pre-programming of developmental outcomes (developmental
stability) is a matter of degree -- some traits of the outcome are
more variable than others. Developmental stability is the result
of regulation processes during development, and if these are
impaired (e.g. by environmental toxins) stability is reduced,
and an abnormal morphology may develop.
Alan McGowen