I’m trying to clarify something that’s been on my mind while working with large models.
In biology, there’s a classic distinction between teleology (purpose imposed from the outside) and teleonomy (the appearance of purpose emerging from internal dynamics).
But as systems grow more complex, the boundary between these two categories seems to blur: teleonomic processes start generating patterns that behave as if they were teleological, even though there’s no designer or intention behind them.
This reminds me a lot of what happens in large-scale models: certain behavioral structures emerge and self-reinforce in ways that look like they’re following an internal vector. Not a “purpose,” but definitely a stable direction.
Does anyone know of any work exploring when a teleonomic system begins to exhibit functionally teleological properties, especially in high-dimensional or fractal-dynamic contexts?