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The
Facts of Evolution THE
FUNDAMENTAL MECHANISM The continuous development
of the universe was already depicted by Teilhard's predecessors. He stated
that this development towards more complex systems and organisms progresses
along two movements: (1) a complexification within the own level, i.e.
more
complex "variations" with the same building blocks; and (2) a complexification
by jumping to a higher level, i.e. using elements of the former
level as building blocks. The second movement starts when the first reaches
its end, as if nature considered more trials within the actual level as
non-productive. This fundamental process generated, up to now, nine levels
of complexification, as far as scientific knowledge reaches. It's nice
to remember that Teilhard "forgot" stages 1, 2 and 6, and proposed a 6-layer
model. But it's impressive to consider that those three "new" levels smoothly
shoved into the existing model, rather confirming than refuting it.
The subsequent
levels in the evolution of the Universe Those 9 layers are: (1) the
(super)strings.
(2) the elementary
particles: quarks, the photon and the electron; they are complexes
of strings.
(3) the atomic
particles, including protons, neutrons and baryons; they are complexes
of quarks.
(4) the atoms,
ranging from Hydrogen to Uranium (everything beyond Uranium is artificial,
and very shortliving); they are complexes of elementary particles.
(5) the molecules,
including the anorganic (e.g. water), evolving to the organic (with the
amino-acids); they are complexes of atoms
(6) the eobionts or protoplasmic organisms, ranging from poorly organized proteins to complex
organelles, i.e. cell constituents that existed autonomously, outside the
cell, at a certain point in evolution, and also viruses, but today are
only found inside cells; they are complexes of proteins and other organic
and anorganic molecules.
(7) the protozoa,
i.e. the individual cell evolving from primitive organisms to organized
complexes of organelles
(8) the metazoa,
i.e. the animals (and a side branch of plants), ultimately evolving to
mammalian, hominoids and man; they are complexes of cells.
(9) the socialization,
i.e. a symbiosis of humans, a mental noosphere, organizing not only society,
but also matter on a planetary and universal scale, and probably interacting
and cooperating one day with intelligent beings from other inhabited planets. SOME
ARGUMENTS FOR THIS HYPOTHESIS Arguments that sustain
the complexity-consciousness hypothesis include: (1) The
extreme simplicity of the system, never surpassed to date by a more
general or more simple explanation. It's a kind of natural systems theory. (2) The apparent
extinction of evolution at a certain level once a higher level is started.
It is even extremely difficult if not impossible to transgress these natural
limits. (3) The fact that
at each level, organisms are using building blocks form the former level,
and nearly never from more primitive levels. E.g. in a metazoon,
everything, including the rigid bones and the shield of the turtle, and
even blood, is composed of living cells. Only man (starting with the primates)
invents technology, i.e. using tools composed of elements of lower
levels (4) It is striking
that the duration of each level shortens with the same factor, i.e. 0.618 (the Golden Section), with the exception of the first two or three
levels, disappearing in the mist of relativistic speeds. This temporal
regularity suggests a fundamental process.
Est. 11/01 -
Latest Update 17/2/02 |
