The concepts of form and function have traditionally been defined in terms of biology and then extended to other disciplines. The author examines the various interpretations of form and function in science and philosophy, reflecting on the philosophical presuppositions underlying the work of Geoffroy, Cuvier and Darwin, among others. In the continental tradition of Canguilhem and Foucalt, the author's treatment of the historical form/function dispute analyzes the complex interactions among ideology, metaphysical commitment and causal mechanisms.