The Self—Determinism of Teleogenic Systems

Abstract The existence of uncontrollable state variables is shown to be necessary for a system to be teleogenic, capable of generating its own goals. Since human beings and other living organisms are manifestly teleogenic, the behavioristic paradigm is fundamentally flawed. A triadic theory of human development, in which heredity and environment are joined by a self-determined component consisting of the evolving uncontrollable state variables, is outlined. The behavior of a simple teleoid under two different modes of development is described.