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Home > Books > Evolution—Material or Spiritual?
Evolution—Material or Spiritual?
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Product Code: 0-942958-08-X
Manufacturer: Kappeler Institute Publishing
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Booklet, 23 pages
Level:
SUBJECT(s):
The Christ-idea
Handling Evil / Mortal Consciousness
Christian Science and World Issues
RELATED RECORDINGS:
M-39, The Relationship Between the Two Translations (2 hours, audio)
SYNOPSIS: In his book Human Destiny, Pierre Lecomte du Noüy put forward a revolutionary theory regarding the evolution of life—a theory that resulted from his life-long research in the field of natural science. In this booklet, Kappeler summarizes du Noüy’s theory of evolution in the light of the Science of Christian Science. Du Noüy explained evolution through seven distinct stages. Kappeler shows that these seven stages are the result of the impact of the 7-fold nature of God as: Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, and Love (see S&H 465:10).
CONTENTS:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Du Noüy's Theory
1. The birth of life
2. The evolution of life toward more complex forms
3. Freedom
4. The birth of moral and spiritual ideas
5. Spontaneous, individual development
6. The transformation of man into an active, responsible individual
7. A telefinalistic plan of evolution
Chapter 2: The Implications of du Noüy's Theory
- Reason and revelation
- Material versus spiritual evolution
- Divine translation
- The spiritual law of evolution
EXCERPT:
From Max Kappeler, Evolution—Material or Spiritual, pp. 1–2, 5.
Introduction
When this article first appeared in 1951, the work of biophysicist Pierre Lecomte du Noüy was internationally known, and his theory of evolution was regarded as revolutionary. His book "Human Destiny" had been published in 1947, but he did not live to see the full measure of its success, for he died the same year. Since then, interest in his work has waned, as public attention has been drawn to new theories of evolution. Yet as late as 1970, a volume of collected essays on evolution was compiled to honor his work. "Evolution in Perspective: Commentaries in Honor of Pierre Lecomte du Noüy" presents the reflections of over 25 scientists, philosophers, and theologians on evolution in general and du Noüy's views in particular. Du Noüy focused the larger issues of evolution, most of which remain a question for scientists and philosophers today.
New light on evolution research. This is not to say the world's concept of evolution has not evolved. The past 40 years have brought many revolutionary advances in the theory of evolution. Most notably, the genetic code, which Gregor Mendel sought a century ago, was finally deciphered through the discovery of the DNA molecule and its information coding system. Completely new branches of science—such as systems theory (e.g. Ludwig von Bertalanffy and Ervin Laszlo), cybernetics (Norbert Wiener), modern physics (e.g. Ilya Prigogine and David Bohm), the study of synergistic systems and information theory, as well as revolutionary concepts in biology itself (e.g. Rupert Sheldrake)—have brought new impetus to evolution research, opening new directions not possible on the old Darwinian, mechanistic model. With these developments, I feel that there is more support than ever for du Noüy's insights into the subject, as well as for the conclusions I drew from his work.
Evolution: a question of survival. Though highly controversial, new perspectives on the evolutionary process go beyond the exclusively material and mechanistic views, exploring the dynamics of evolution change from higher dimensions than just the physical or biological. Echoing du Noüy, today's thinkers ask: What brings forth creation? What produces increasingly higher levels of complexity and order in spite of material laws of disorder? In world consciousness, evolution becomes a question not merely of progress but even of survival. Unless mankind continues to evolve, it cannot surmount the problems its particular specialization creates.
Synthesis theory. The present theories of evolution can be grouped into two schools. First, the old mechanistic approach persists—though in changed form—as synthesis theory. This neo-Darwinian concept explains evolution through the mechanisms of chance mutations, which are nurtured by material conditions and selected by the survival of the fittest. The only innovation beyond Darwin is that synthesis theory describes evolution on the molecular level in light of recent DNA research. This mechanistic, materialistic school claims a wide following.
A systems approach to evolution. But there is another school, namely, a systems approach to evolution. This approach to evolution builds on the concept of the universe as an information-structure, which restructures itself continually to bring out higher degrees of order and system. Order, not chaos, is the primal state—that toward which all things tend. What we call chaos is but a transitional phase to new levels of order.
New support for a Christianly scientific concept of evolution. Whereas the mechanistic, materialistic approach remains opposed to a Christianly scientific concept of evolution, the systems approach lends much support. It is not uncommon for these theories to delineate stages of evolution which parallel the seven days of creation in the Bible. Such stages accentuate not so much the emergence of specific life-forms but rather the unfolding order of reality, which brings forth evolution and drives its development. It asks: What kind of universe makes evolution possible? An information-systems view of the universe provides a much more likely home for evolution to occur in than a view of the universe governed by entropy—by primal and ultimate disorder. Rather than outdating either du Noüy's work or my own approach based on spiritually scientific reasoning, a systems approach to evolution gives new impetus to the conclusions presented 30 to 40 years ago … I shall try to summarize du Noüy 's theory of evolution, keeping as close as possible to his reasoning and terminology. I shall then show its implications for developing an understanding of ultimate spiritual reality.
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