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Date: | Fri Mar 31 17:18:53 2006 |
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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".
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