Life-made entities. Humans and other living beings are constantly transforming inanimate matter into new entities, which are themselves non-living but which (except for waste products) serve some function related to the life-processes of the organisms that create them. The form of such an entity tends largely to be determined and explained by its function(s) in the life of the organism that generated it. For instance, a beaver dam is constructed for shelter and protection from predators; consequently, its structural details must render it stable, habitable, and accessible. The features of an automobile—its engine components, its brakes, even the shape of its seats and door handles—is explained by its function of transporting human beings and their belongings safely from place to place. As we shall see later, social structures such as markets, corporations, and governments are best explained by the human needs for which they are created and maintained, and should be analyzed in terms of their efficacy toward those needs. In some cases new breeds and species, such as dogs and certain agricultural crops, have been developed by humans; the nature and existence of these new organisms must therefore be understood partly in terms of their functions in human life.

In short, the concepts of life and function are epistemologically essential to understanding a major portion of existence as we know it. Since we are ourselves living entities, these concepts will always be essential in our context of knowledge. Therefore the requirements of life, especially human life, must be our preeminent concern in developing the remaining concepts and principles in this course.