Definition
The philosophical idea that events and developments are driven toward a predetermined end goal or purpose, or an explanation that appeals to a final cause rather than efficient causes. In history and science, it's criticized as a bias toward viewing the past as inevitably leading to the present.
Example Usage
The historian was accused of teleology for suggesting that medieval society was simply a stepping stone to modern democracy.
Origin
From Greek 'telos' (end, purpose) and 'logia' (study of).
Fun Fact
Karl Marx's historical materialism and Hegel's philosophy were both criticized by later thinkers as teleological, assuming history had a predetermined endpoint.
Source: Definition backfill (hailey)
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