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On purpose
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On purpose

by Michael Ruse

This history of teleology in Western thought analyses the concept of purpose from ancient Greece to the present. It examines philosophical, religious, and scientific perspectives, covering Platonic, Aristotelian, and Kantian frameworks and their relation to Darwinian theory.

Accession 15693 ISBN 9780691172460 Publisher Princeton University Press
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TAGS
Curated Derived
History Life Sciences Philosophy Popular Culture Science
CONNECTIONS
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State
on_shelf
True
position_updated_at
2026-06-04 15:17
orientation
vertical
Details

Physical

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Hard Back
dimensions
none captured
spine_text
none captured

Metadata

Book form
LOCATION HISTORY
M:S3:25 2 Current vertical
5 days, 23 hours ago
M:S3:27 2 vertical
1 week, 5 days ago
M:S3:28 2 vertical
3 weeks, 4 days ago
Book Location
Updated 5 days, 23 hours ago
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Last synced 2026-05-21 01:11 (2 weeks, 6 days ago)

Identity

name→ title
On purpose
vernon_id
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15693
vernon_slug
on-purpose-michael-ruse

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isbn_issn→ isbn (when valid)
9780691172460

Descriptive

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2018
object_type
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brief_description
Michael Ruse explores the history of the idea of purpose in philosophical, religious, scientific, and historical thought, from ancient Greece to the present. -- dust jacket.

Subjects & people

authors→ author (initial fill only)
Michael Ruse
tags→ tags
Science, Life sciences, History, Philosophy, Evolution (Biology), Biology, Knowledge, Theory of, Reason, Rationalism, Free will and determinism, Determinism (Philosophy), Humanism, Philosophy -- History, Intentionality (Philosophy), Teleology
subject_people
Charles Darwin (English, b.1809, d.1882), Plato (Greek, b.428 BCE, d.247 BCE), Aristotle (Greek, b.384 BCE, d.322 BCE)
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