noun
finality; purposiveness
Philosophical term referring to the quality of being directed toward an end or purpose; used in contexts like teleology and Kantian aesthetics.
カントの美学では、美的判断は目的性の概念と結びついている。
In Kant's aesthetics, aesthetic judgment is linked to the concept of purposiveness.
Discussions of finality in biology are often confused with teleology.
合目的性 (purposiveness/conformity to purpose) is a related Kantian term often used interchangeably, but 目的性 is broader.
Compound of 目的 (purpose) + 性 (-ness, quality). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; it likely entered Japanese as a calque from Western philosophical terminology.