Editing Teleology (section)

== Economics ==
A teleology of human aims played a crucial role in the work of [[economist]] [[Ludwig von Mises]], especially in the development of his science of ''[[praxeology]]''. Mises believed that an individual's action is teleological because it is governed by the existence of their chosen ends.<ref name=":4">[[Ludwig von Mises|von Mises, Ludwig]]. ''[https://cdn.mises.org/Ultimate%20Foundation%20of%20Economic%20Science_3.pdf The Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science]''. Princeton, NJ: [[David Van Nostrand]]. – via [[Mises Institute]]. [https://mises.org/library/ultimate-foundation-economic-science Available in other formats].</ref> In other words, individuals select what they believe to be the most appropriate means to achieve a sought after goal or end. Mises also stressed that, with respect to human action, teleology is not independent of causality: "No action can be devised and ventured upon without definite ideas about the relation of cause and effect, teleology presupposes causality."<ref name=":4" />

Assuming reason and action to be predominantly influenced by ideological credence, Mises derived his portrayal of human motivation from [[Epicureanism|Epicurean teachings]], insofar as he assumes "atomistic individualism, teleology, and libertarianism, and defines man as an egoist who seeks a maximum of happiness" (i.e. the ultimate pursuit of pleasure over pain).<ref name=" Gonce ">Gonce, R. A. ''Natural Law and Ludwig von Mises' Praxeology and Economic Science''. Chattanooga, TN: Southern Economic Association.</ref> "Man strives for," Mises remarks, "but never attains the perfect state of happiness described by [[Epicurus]]."<ref name=" Gonce " /> Furthermore, expanding upon the Epicurean groundwork, Mises formalized his conception of pleasure and pain by assigning each specific meaning, allowing him to extrapolate his conception of attainable happiness to a critique of liberal versus socialist ideological societies. It is there, in his application of Epicurean belief to political theory, that Mises flouts Marxist theory, considering labor to be one of many of man's 'pains', a consideration which positioned labor as a violation of his original Epicurean assumption of man's manifest hedonistic pursuit. From here he further postulates a critical distinction between introversive labor and extroversive labor, further divaricating from basic Marxist theory, in which Marx hails labor as man's "[[Marx's theory of human nature|species-essence]]", or his "species-activity".<ref>[[R. N. Berki|Berki, R. N.]] ''On the Nature and Origins of Marx's Concept of Labor''. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.</ref>