I haven't heard about it either, but if you had just done a search of our
great Principia Cybernetica Web, you would have found the following
definitions for the two other terms in the ASC glossary:
TELEOLOGY
the philosophical study of manifestations of design or purposes in natural
processes or occurrences, under the belief that natural processes are not
determined by mechanism but rather by their utility in an overall natural
design. Dysteleology is the doctrine of purposelessness in nature.
(American Heritage Dictionary)
Teleology is associated with vitalism. It explains apparently purposeful
animal behavior by saying that the action is performed because it will
later be advantageous to the animal. Science, on the other hand, has sought
to explain apparently purposeful behavior through the theory of mechanism.
The notion that an organism contains a model of the actual world and a
model of the desired world and acts so as to make the actual world conform
to the desired world is compatible with the theory of mechanism. (Umpleby)
TELEONOMY
the element of apparent purpose or possession of a project in the
organization of living systems, without implying any vitalistic
connotations. Frequently considered as a necessary if not sufficient
defining feature of the living organization. (Maturana and Varela, 1979)
________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Francis Heylighen, Systems Researcher fheyligh@vnet3.vub.ac.be
PESP, Free University of Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel +32-2-6292525; Fax +32-2-6292489; http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html