Function, adaptation and design in Biology

Abstract

The main misunderstanding of the etiological conception of the concept of function is to confuse the later with the concept of adaptation. The explanations by natural selection do not justify functional imputations: they explain the configuration of an organic structure by considerations that include references to the functional performance of this structure. That's why the best way of characterizing them, is to say that they are design explanations. But, for correct formulation of the idea of design, it will be necessary to adopt a conception of the functional imputations that could avoid the difficulties of the etiological conception. For this it will be necessary to resort to the systemic conception of function.