Pat Gunning wrote:   
> Don't you agree that heat seeking missiles, fly-seeking   
> frogs, and deer-seeking wolves are very much different   
> from profit seeking prospective employers and employees.   
  
  
Of course they differ.  Each differs from every other.  But   
in the context of the current conversation they have   
something crucial in common: however much we may believe   
that "deep down" there is a purely naturalistic description   
of the "seeking" taking place,  in *each* case we still find   
it useful (for understanding as well as for prediction) to   
charactrize them teleologically (i.e., as seeking).  Indeed,   
for these purposes, most of us will have no more useful   
characterization.   
  
Alan   
  
PS Trying a bit to reroot this conversaion in HES, it may be   
worth recalling that Veblen (1909, JPE) discussed how   
reliance on teleological explanations introduced a tension   
for economists who hope to practice an economic "science".