13
Teleology
Definition of design = Everyone designs who devise courses of
action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.
Herbert A. Simon
Abstract
This chapter is a reflection of the first lecture, and it deals with the problem of
chemistry in designing of new substances, which have its scope in the
appearances on the levels of complexity higher than chemical level. The problem
of chemistry as basic science, and chemistry as auxiliary discipline is discussed.
Keywords
Structure-function relationship Á Teleology in science Á Curiosity Á Academic
freedom Á Antropic principle
Ladies, and Gentlemen,
Michael Polany (1891–1976) is very well known as a chemist who gave important
contribution to the development of the transition state theory of chemical reaction.
Its BEP principle (Bell-Evans-Polany) helps chemists to estimate some of the
important properties of the transition states, and to predict chemical reactivity.
However, his intellectual activity was much broader. Polany has been engaged in
discussions about the philosophical and sociological position of science, academic
freedom, and university education [1].
I wish to represent how the work of Polany could give a new light to the position
of chemistry on the scale of complexity levels, [2] that I have discussed in the first
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
H. Vančik, Philosophy of Chemistry, Integrated Science 2,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69224-7_13
139
Teleology
Definition of design = Everyone designs who devise courses of
action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.
Herbert A. Simon
Abstract
This chapter is a reflection of the first lecture, and it deals with the problem of
chemistry in designing of new substances, which have its scope in the
appearances on the levels of complexity higher than chemical level. The problem
of chemistry as basic science, and chemistry as auxiliary discipline is discussed.
Keywords
Structure-function relationship Á Teleology in science Á Curiosity Á Academic
freedom Á Antropic principle
Ladies, and Gentlemen,
Michael Polany (1891–1976) is very well known as a chemist who gave important
contribution to the development of the transition state theory of chemical reaction.
Its BEP principle (Bell-Evans-Polany) helps chemists to estimate some of the
important properties of the transition states, and to predict chemical reactivity.
However, his intellectual activity was much broader. Polany has been engaged in
discussions about the philosophical and sociological position of science, academic
freedom, and university education [1].
I wish to represent how the work of Polany could give a new light to the position
of chemistry on the scale of complexity levels, [2] that I have discussed in the first
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
H. Vančik, Philosophy of Chemistry, Integrated Science 2,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69224-7_13
139