TELEOLOGY

Abstract

Few words were so reviled in literary criticism and theory in the eighties, nineties, and early part of the century as "teleology." It seems strange when you remember that teleology - derived from the Greek world τέλος, "end" or "purpose" - simply means interpreting things in relation to their possible goal or outcome. It is hard to imagine reading a novel without considering its conclusion, or a sonnet without considering what its turn seems to do. As Eagleton notes, one cannot interpret (much less formulate) policy without addressing the question of purpose, the desired ends, as well as the means by which those ends can be achieved. In our current moment, as we grapple with the problem of climate change and collective action, as we struggle to figure out what world we are headed toward, the question of ends has never been felt to be more important.