In the first part of this paper I present a brief analysis of goal-oriented systems in the context of history and philosophy of science. In the second part I discuss their practical limitations. A fundamental question is considered in the first part: Do goal-oriented systems make sense in a universe that obeys relativity? I argue that in the block universe of relativity these systems lack intelligence because they are deterministic. Intelligent goal-oriented systems can be founded on a dual model of physical reality in which there is interaction between the phenomena and a mechanism that establishes causality. On this basis the existence of goal-oriented systems in a metaphysical sense is ultimately related to whether our physical reality is autonomous or guided by another level of reality. In the second part of the paper I claim that while goal-oriented systems may have served an important role in human evolution, they can also be highly dysfunctional. A simple mathematical model of multi-variable goal-oriented systems suggests that attaining goals may be impossible and this has significant implication for policy design.
Efthimios Harokopos