Traditionally, classical philosophers used teleological explanation to account for the
order of the cosmos and to ground the normativity of human action. The progress of
the sciences challenged the teleological perspective on reality, but only the rise of
Darwinism opened a possibility which seemed able to account for the whole of reality
without final causes. From that point of view, teleological explanation is still possible,
but it takes forms which are compatible with physicalism. This essay discusses
the capacity of postDarwinian teleology to account for our experience of the normativity
of our actions, and it critically utilizes some recent arguments by Thomas Nagel
in order to suggest that intentional and teleological explanation is prior.
