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The doctrine of purposelessness; a term applied by Haeckel to that branch of physiology which treats of rudimentary organs, in view of their being useless to the life of the organism.

The doctrine of purposelessness; a term applied by Haeckel to that branch of physiology which treats of rudimentary organs, in view of their being useless to the life of the organism.

The doctrine of purposelessness in the creation or development of organs now rudimentary and useless to the organism, as opposed to teleology, which regards them as having been created for a special purpose. See teleology. [Gr.]