Philosophy + Function?

Question:What are your opinions on what it is for something to have a function?
man made or biological

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: What are your opinions on what it is for something to have a function?
man made or biological

Some functions are inherent, others are incidental or created. Somethings inherent function is that which it would not exist but for. (Gramatically a bit akward). One example I've read on this board is that the heart's inherent function is to pump blood. On the other hand, the function of rain to help crops grow is just incidental because rain fell on earth far before we began farming crops. In fact, crops evolved in a rainy climate to take advantage of it. The rain didn't care whether they were there or not.
People can also create our own functions. We decide what matters to us and pick our own purposes and rationalize why other things matter; what their functions are.

As for vestigial organs, no they don't pose a problem for evolution. Evolution is a random inherently imperfect process. A species may have been going in one direction for eons, and then due to some new mutation, that direction becomes irrelevant and certain organs become useless. They eventually disappear, but there's not a lot of evolutionary pressure to make them disappear because they don't hurt you that ofter (occasional appendicitis), so it takes a long time to lose those organs.

edit: Vestigial organs pose a problem for intelligent design. It would be like god created man, but like when man creates an IKEA chair, he has a few left over parts he just throws in somewhere because he can't figure out where they go.

Im not sure if im understanding you 100% however my opinion on something having a function is simple. I believe everything either man made or biological have its own purpose for being in the part. Nothing in the world is completely useless, people can utilize basically everything; rock, soil, common elements, etc, i personally think that people thinking something is useless is due to stereotype, hitting on their own boundary of rationality, etc.

As for the vestigial organ. I disagree with the first answer above, i havent encountered record of our 'vestigial organ' reducing/becoming smaller as time go by. Evolution theory states the useless organ gradually disappears, if thats so atleast there will be some sign like size being reduced etc. Things commonly pop up from our brain when thinking of vestigial organ is usually two; appendix(even wiki) and coccyx(tail bone). But the organ's function have discovered but yet today its not considered a common sense.

As science progress, we will find more answer. And more functions ;).

Thanks for asking.