Aristotle – In works like Physics and Metaphysics, Aristotle explains that natural entities fulfill specific purposes; for example, an acorn is directed toward becoming an oak tree.

Thomas Aquinas – In the Summa Theologica, Aquinas integrates Aristotle’s ideas with theology by showing that natural law and order reveal God’s design in the world.

Immanuel Kant – In the Critique of Judgment, Kant examines organisms as if they inherently function according to a purposeful order, suggesting that our understanding of nature requires a teleological perspective.

Georg Hegel – In texts such as Phenomenology of Spirit, Hegel presents history and nature as evolving processes that culminate in increased rationality and self-consciousness, implying an ultimate, goal-directed progression.