In the ancient world, teleological thinking was more prevalent than it is today. Plato and Aristotle thought that fire rose because it was reaching for the sky, its natural home, and that stones fell because they were striving to get closer to the earth, where they belonged. Nature was seen as having a meaningful order. To understand nature, and ou

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Similarly, we might think of design method as a process for inquiry into the purposes, plans, and intentions behind what humans make and do.

Another key difference seems to be motivation - scientists are motivated by discovery and understanding, whereas engineers are motivated by application and use.