Now that we’ve established in
Part I that we’re going to think about interpreting in a teleological (outcome-based) way, the obvious next question is: What outcome are we talking about?
In this entry, I will use the term “goal” rather than “outcome.”
outcome Pronunciation: /ˈaʊtkʌm/•
noun • the way a thing turns out; a consequence:
it is the outcome of the vote that counts
goal Pronunciation: /gəʊl/
• noun • 1(in football, rugby, hockey, and some other games) …2 the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result:
he achieved his goal of becoming King of England
That is, an “outcome” is what eventually happens in a given situation. A “goal” is a
desired result (outcome) that you put an effort into reaching. (Thanks to
The Oxford Dictionaries Online.) Because, as a practice profession, we make decisions in such a way as to bring about the outcome we want (teleologically), we will refer to the desired outcome we are working towards as the “goal.”
Any situation in which we find ourselves has an ultimate goal, a desired end outcome. When we go to the grocery store, our ultimate goal is to acquire the things we need. We probably also have other, intermediate goals, such as not taking all day to get them all, not spending more than our budget permits, and so forth. The same can be said for any situation in which we find ourselves interpreting.
