Though a few ancient atomists such as Lucretius challenged the teleological viewpoint of Aristotelian ideas about life, teleology (and after the rise of Christianity, natural theology) would remain central to biological thought essentially until the 18th and 19th centuries.
ðˌoʊ ɐ fjˈuː ˈeɪntʃənt ɐɾəmˈɪsts sˈʌtʃ ɐz luːkɹˈɛɾɪəs tʃˈælɪndʒd ðə tˌɛlᵻəlˈɑːdʒɪkəl vjˈuːpɔɪnt ʌv ˌæɹɪstoʊtˈiːliən aɪdˈiəz ɐbˌaʊt lˈaɪf, tˌɛlᵻˈɑːlədʒi ænd ˈæftɚ ðə ɹˈaɪz ʌv kɹˌɪstɪˈænᵻɾi, nˈætʃɚɹəl θɪˈɑːlədʒi wʊd ɹᵻmˈeɪn sˈɛntɹəl tə bˌaɪəlˈɑːdʒɪkəl θˈɔːt ᵻsˈɛnʃəli ʌntˈɪl ðɪ ˈeɪtiːnθ ænd nˈaɪntiːnθ sˈɛntʃɚɹiz.