---
slug: oip-node-c25-teleology-entelechy
title: Node C25: Teleology / Entelechy
canonical: https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-node-c25-teleology-entelechy
---

# Node C25: Teleology / Entelechy

C25 — Teleology / Entelechy
{
  "id": "C25",
  "claim": "Systems exhibit apparent striving toward completed forms; the universe shows a tendency toward increasing complexity and order that is not fully accounted for by selection mechanisms alone.",
  "domain": ["philosophy", "theology", "paleontology", "theoretical biology", "process philosophy"],
  "pattern": ["teleology", "entelechy", "final_cause", "Omega_Point", "tendency_to_habit"],
  "mechanism": "Aristotle: four causes include telos (final cause) — the end toward which a process aims. Teilhard: evolution converges on the Omega Point — maximum complexity/consciousness. Peirce: tendency to take habits — the universe progressively falls into regularities. Whitehead: actual entities prehend (aim at) their own becoming. None of these have accepted physical mechanisms; all are interpretive frameworks.",
  "scale": "cosmic",
  "claim_tier": "T3/T4",
  "sources": [
    "Aristotle (c. 350 BCE). Physics, Metaphysics. [Four causes, entelecheia.]",
    "Teilhard de Chardin, P. (1955). Le Phenomene Humain. [Omega Point.]",
    "Whitehead, A.N. (1929). Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology. Macmillan.",
    "Peirce, C.S. (1891). 'The Architecture of Theories.' The Monist, 1(2), 161-176. [Tendency to take habits.]",
    "Leibniz, G.W. (1710). Essais de Theodicee. [Pre-established harmony.]"
  ],
  "dual": "Pure efficient-cause mechanism — the claim that all apparent purpose is fully explained by selection (C09) with no residue requiring final causation.",
  "falsifier": "The honest one: modern biology explains apparent purpose by natural selection (C09) with no final cause. A mapping here must show what selection CANNOT account for — a directed trend in evolution that (a) is not random walk, (b) is not selection on local fitness gradients, and (c) is not thermodynamic dissipation (C01). No such demonstration currently exists.",
  "rival_frame": "Teleology is projection. Humans see purpose because they are purposive agents; they project intentionality onto nature. The 'tendency toward complexity' is a local fluctuation in a universe trending toward heat death. Teilhard's Omega Point is theology, not science. Peirce's 'tendency to habit' is prescientific speculation.",
  "independence_check": "HIGH. Aristotle (philosophy, Athens, ~350 BCE) developed teleology from biological observation. Teilhard (paleontology/theology, France/China, 1955) developed the Omega Point from evolutionary history and Catholic theology. Whitehead (process philosophy, London/Harvard, 1929) developed organismic philosophy from revolt against materialism. Peirce (pragmatism, Cambridge MA, 1891) developed tychism from probability and habit. Leibniz (philosophy, Hanover, 1710) developed pre-established harmony from theodicy. Five independent traditions, five civilizations, convergent intuition: the universe is going somewhere.",
  "pattern_type": "metaphorical",
  "maps_to_axiom": ["A2"]
}

2. The 10 Cross-Domain Convergence Edges
These are the Venn points — the actual evidence. Each edge identifies the same pattern re-derived independently across domains. Convergence strength rated 1–10 based on independence, specificity, and cross-domain distance.

---

## Corpus map
- Same node, other planes: [Encyclopedia C25](/a/convergence-encyclopedia-c25) · [Inventory invariant](/a/oip-invariant-22-322-teleology-entelechy-final-cause)
- Edges touching C25: [disconfirming edge 1](/a/oip-disconfirming-edge-1)
- Catalogue hub: [Public Article](/a/oip-convergence-public-article) · [Schema](/a/oip-convergence-schema)
