What's Your Purspose?

“All things that are by nature come about as they do either always or for the most part, but none of the things from fortune or chance do. For it does not seem to be from or by coincidence that it rains in winter... if then, it seems that something is is either by coincidence or for the sake of something, and if things by nature cannot be by either coincidence or chance, they would be for the sake of something. But surely such things are all by nature... Therefore, there is being-for-the-sake-of-something among things that happen by nature” (Aristotle 66).

In chapter 8, Aristotle explains what instances constitute chance and necessity. In the section I chose, Aristotle implies that all happenings in nature are out of necessity and not simply by chance, for each thing in nature has a purpose that the thing is acting toward. This is referred to as “being-for-the-sake-of-something.” This purpose can be exemplified by looking at our own teeth. Aristotle points out that our canines, used for ripping foods, and molars, which grind the food up, are not positioned the way they are by chance. The end toward which our teeth function would be to aid in digestion, and ensure efficient absorption of nutrients.

One issue that I think would complicate Aristotle's argument would be the instance of selective breeding by humans. Today, there is a wide variety of dog species, thanks to species adapting to different environments and to humans selecting new breeds. Most dogs in the wild are large and hardy; their teeth, for example, are structured to wolf down large portions of tough meat. Now think of the Yorkshire Terrier, Chihuahua, and Pomeranian. They would not survive alone in a wild environment without humans, but they don't need to. The purpose of these breeds is to satisfy the human convention of cuteness. Their short stature, button noses, etc. make these breeds extremely vulnerable to sickness and being attacked, but aren't dogs supposed to be built to hunt?

What do you think: do you consider man made concepts like “cuteness” a natural part of humans and nature? Or was is by chance that people took interest in making certain animals so cuddly?