Taking Metaphors Seriously: The Case of the Design Metaphor and the Problem of Teleology in Biology Education

Abstract

This article presents the theoretical foundations of a new perspective on the problem of teleology in biology education, with a particular focus on the teaching of evolution by natural selection. The proposed approach emphasizes the central role of metaphors and analogies in both science and science instruction. It builds on the epistemological assumption that the design metaphor constitutes a core component of the theory of natural selection. This assumption implies that explanatory practices based on this theory necessarily rely on the design metaphor and, as a result, carry ineliminable teleological connotations—including a naturalized notion of design. Drawing on these epistemological premises, as well as on findings from cognitive and developmental psychology regarding the nature of students’ teleological intuitions, the paper proposes a pedagogical approach centered on fostering students’ metacognitive regulation of such intuitions. The potential advantages of this perspective are considered in relation to alternative approaches discussed in the literature. Finally, the article offers general guidelines for implementing this framework in biology classrooms.