ABSTRACT
To ask the function of short-term memory one might ask, “What is short-term memory for?” 1 Or, to ascribe a function to eyelashes one might say, “Eyelashes divert airflow to protect the eye.” 2 If a function of x is to z, it is for z-ing or is there to z. This manner of speaking has a teleological flavor, but do biologists really use a teleological notion of function in contemporary biology, and, if so, what (if any) scientific purpose is it serving?
