Teilhard De Chardin; The Omega Point and the Noosphere

Summary

This script delves into the concept of teleology, tracing its roots in Aristotle's philosophy to its decline in modern science. It explores the work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, who posited a universe with an inherent teleological direction towards complexity and consciousness, culminating in the 'Omega Point.' Challenging the mechanistic view of evolution, the script discusses the convergence of life forms and the potential for a planetary consciousness, suggesting a cosmos driven by a unifying, yet diverse, teleological force.

Takeaways

• 📚 The concept of teleology, which involves the idea of purpose or end goals in nature, fell out of favor in the late 19th and 20th centuries in academic sciences and philosophy.
• 🎓 Aristotle's philosophy introduced the term 'Telos' with four distinct forms: material, efficient, formal, and final Telos, which were foundational in understanding the entities in the world.
• 🔍 With the rise of reductionist materialism, especially after the works of Galileo and Descartes, teleology became separated from causation, leading to a focus on material and efficient causes in scientific discourse.
• 🌐 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a French paleontologist and cosmologist who diverged from the anti-teleological trend, seeking to reconcile evolution with Christian theology and proposing the idea of the Omega Point.
• 🧬 De Chardin's work, 'The Phenomenon of Man,' written in the 1930s but published posthumously in 1955, explored the idea of evolution having an inherent teleological direction towards human consciousness and the Omega Point.
• 👥 De Chardin's ideas were controversial, facing opposition from both the scientific community and the Catholic Church, yet he remained a significant figure in discussions of evolution and spirituality.
• 🧠 De Chardin noted a convergence in human evolution, contrary to the general pattern of divergence seen in other biological groups, suggesting a 'lure' towards a singular form of existence.
• 🦀 The script discusses 'convergence' in evolution, exemplified by phenomena like 'carcinization' in crabs and the independent development of complex eyes, indicating a less random evolutionary process.
• 🌌 De Chardin's cosmology proposes that the universe has an inherent teleological direction, moving towards increased complexity and consciousness, culminating in the Omega Point, a state of ultimate unity and synthesis.
• 🔮 The script raises questions about the existence of the Omega Point and the ultimate fate of the universe, considering modern astrophysics and the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead as potential complements to de Chardin's ideas.
• 🤔 The discussion concludes by emphasizing the significance of de Chardin's ambitious attempt to understand the universe, human existence, and the nature of reality, despite the controversies and challenges his ideas faced.

Q & A

What is the concept of teleology and why did it fall out of favor in the late 19th and 20th centuries?

Teleology is a philosophical concept derived from ancient Greece, particularly significant in Aristotle's thinking, referring to the inherent purpose or end (Telos) of entities in the world. It fell out of favor due to the rise of reductionist materialism, which separated teleology from causation, leading to a scientific paradigm that rejected teleological explanations for natural phenomena.

What are the four distinct forms of Telos as described by Aristotle?

Aristotle described four forms of Telos: material Telos (the matter of which an entity is made), efficient Telos (the action or process that brings an entity into being), formal Telos (the form or design of the entity), and final Telos (the purpose or end for which the entity exists).

How did the understanding of causation and teleology change with the advent of modern science?

With the rise of modern science, particularly with figures like Galileo and Descartes, causation and teleology became conceptually separated. Material and efficient Telos were seen as causal in a fundamental sense, while formal and final Telos were considered relevant mainly to human activity or divine intervention.

Who was Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and how did his work diverge from the prevailing anti-teleological trend?

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a French paleontologist and cosmologist who passionately pursued both natural science and religiosity. His work diverged from the anti-teleological trend by attempting to reconcile evolution with a sense of purpose, influenced by the works of philosophers like Henri Bergson.

What is the significance of Teilhard de Chardin's concept of the Omega Point in his cosmology?

The Omega Point in Teilhard de Chardin's cosmology represents the ultimate unification of all reality within a cosmic synthesis of consciousness. It is seen as the final Telos or purpose of the cosmos, towards which all evolution is directed, and it implies a teleological drive in the universe.

How does Teilhard de Chardin view the evolution of life and the cosmos?

Teilhard de Chardin views the evolution of life and the cosmos as a process driven by an inherent teleological impulse towards the realization of complex life forms, culminating in human existence and potentially a cosmic consciousness or Omega Point.

What is the concept of 'Noogenesis' as introduced by Teilhard de Chardin?

Noogenesis, in Teilhard de Chardin's work, refers to the emergence of a planetary consciousness or 'Noosphere,' a stage in the evolution of the Earth where human consciousness envelops the planet, leading to a unified, conscious regulation of the Earth's future.

How does the script discuss the potential limitations or oversights in Teilhard de Chardin's cosmology?

The script raises questions about why diversity, dissonance, and chaos exist if the cosmos is ultimately directed towards synthesis. It also contrasts Teilhard's ideas with modern astrophysics, which suggests a universe destined for dissolution rather than unification, and with Alfred North Whitehead's process philosophy, which views cosmic synthesis as a continual process rather than a future state.

What is the anthropic principle and why is it considered an unsatisfactory explanation in the context of the script?

The anthropic principle is an argument that the properties of the cosmos must be such that they allow for the emergence of complex life, as we are here to observe them. The script considers it unsatisfactory because it does not account for the actual universe we find ourselves in and assumes a specific kind of Multiverse, which may not necessarily exist.

What is the phenomenon of 'convergence' in evolution as discussed in the script?

Convergence in evolution refers to the process where distinct species from different evolutionary lineages develop similar features, such as 'crabness' or the development of complex eyes, indicating a drive towards certain archetypal forms that are effective and versatile.

How does the script address the idea of human evolution as a significant development in the evolutionary journey of life on Earth?

The script addresses human evolution as a significant development by highlighting how hominid evolution appears to converge on a single form, with increases in brain size, bipedal locomotion, and other characteristics that led to language, complex social organization, and tool usage, suggesting a teleological drive towards the realization of human potential.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Decline of Teleology in Modern Science

This paragraph delves into the historical shift away from teleology in academic sciences and philosophy, tracing its roots to ancient Greek philosophy and Aristotle's concept of 'Telos'. It explains the four forms of Telos and how the idea of purpose within causation was separated with the rise of reductionist materialism. The paragraph also introduces the modern scientific paradigm that rejects teleological explanations in favor of mechanical processes and randomness, with a note on the dissenting views of some philosophers and scientists.

05:02

🌟 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: A Visionary Thinker

The second paragraph introduces Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French paleontologist and cosmologist whose work diverged from the mainstream anti-teleological trend. Influenced by the works of Andre Bergson, Chardin sought to reconcile his scientific and religious interests. The paragraph outlines his journey from being ordained as a Jesuit priest to his experiences in World War I and his significant contributions to paleontology, all while highlighting the controversy surrounding his ideas and the challenges he faced from both the scientific and religious establishments.

10:03

🔬 The Phenomenon of Man and the Convergence of Evolution

This paragraph discusses Chardin's major work 'The Phenomenon of Man', which explores the idea of convergence in evolution, challenging the notion of evolution as a purely random process. It highlights the unique pattern of human evolution, which appears to converge on a single form, unlike the divergence seen in other biological groups. The text also touches on the concept of 'carcinization', where different species converge on a crab-like form, suggesting an inherent drive towards certain archetypal forms in nature.

15:03

🦀 The Archetype of Crabness and Evolutionary Convergences

The fourth paragraph expands on the idea of convergence in evolution, using 'carcinization' as an example of how different species evolve similar features independently. It also discusses the phenomenon of eyes evolving independently in various species, suggesting a structured landscape of potential forms in evolution. The paragraph challenges the assumption of randomness in evolution and introduces the concept of 'archetypes' that shape evolutionary developments.

20:04

🌌 The Cosmic Journey Towards the Omega Point

This paragraph presents Chardin's view of the cosmos as having an inherent teleological impulse, moving towards the realization of complex life forms and ultimately an 'Omega Point'. It discusses the fundamental properties of matter that enable the development of life and the idea of the universe being driven by an 'attractor' or 'transcendental object'. The text also addresses the anthropic principle and its limitations in explaining the observed properties of the universe.

25:05

🧬 The Nature of Biological Life and Evolution

The sixth paragraph examines the nature of biological life through Chardin's lens, focusing on the fundamental modalities that shape life and its evolution, such as self-organization, growth, and reproduction. It introduces the concept of 'Eros' in life, manifesting as processes of conjugation and association, leading to increased novelty and complexity. The paragraph also touches on the idea of 'sympoiesis', a cooperative process of self-creation that contributes to the evolution of life.

30:07

🧠 Cephalization and the Evolution of Consciousness

This paragraph discusses the process of 'cephalization', where organisms develop complex nervous systems and centralized cognitive processes, leading to the emergence of the brain. It outlines the evolutionary developments that have contributed to increased cognitive complexity, such as the development of vertebra and skeletal structures, mammary glands, and the placenta. The text suggests that these developments are not accidental but fundamental to the progression of life towards realizing its innate potentials.

35:09

🌐 The Emergence of the Noosphere and Planetary Consciousness

The eighth paragraph explores Chardin's concept of the 'Noosphere', a planetary consciousness emerging from the Earth's biosphere as human technology and consciousness evolve. It discusses the potential for human civilization to create a unified, conscious system for the regulation of the Earth's future. The text also contemplates the significance of human awareness of time and the role of human consciousness in steering the evolutionary process.

40:10

🛕 The Omega Point: Cosmic Synthesis and Redemption

This paragraph delves into Chardin's theological and cosmological significance of the 'Omega Point', viewing it as the ultimate unification of all reality within a cosmic synthesis of consciousness. It discusses the Omega Point as a state of ultimate harmony and redemption for the cosmos, encompassing past, present, and future. The text also raises questions about the existence of diversity and chaos if the cosmos is ultimately directed towards synthesis.

45:10

🌌 The Polarity of Cosmic Evolution: Chardin and Whitehead

The final paragraph contrasts Chardin's cosmology with that of Alfred North Whitehead, suggesting that while Chardin envisions a future state of ultimate synthesis, Whitehead proposes a continual realization of synthesis in every moment of existence. It discusses the potential compatibility of both views, acknowledging the continuous process of actualization within cosmic evolution and the role of contrast and difference in achieving the ultimate aim of cosmic evolution.

Keywords

💡Teleology

Teleology is the philosophical study of purpose, causation, and design in nature. In the video, it is discussed as a concept that fell out of favor in academic sciences and philosophy due to the rise of reductionist materialism. The script mentions Aristotle's four forms of Telos, which are material, efficient, formal, and final causes, illustrating how they give shape to entities in the world. The video explores how teleology was separated from causation and its implications for understanding the natural world and human activity.

💡Aristotle

Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher whose works significantly influenced Western philosophy. The script refers to his concept of 'Telos,' which he used to describe the inherent purpose or end of things. His framework of material, efficient, formal, and final Telos is used to understand the causation and purpose in the world, which is central to the discussion of teleology in the video.

💡Reductionist Materialism

Reductionist Materialism is a philosophical and scientific approach that seeks to explain phenomena by reducing them to their fundamental material components. The script discusses how this approach led to the separation of teleology from causation, suggesting that the natural world is shaped by blind, mechanical processes rather than inherent purposes or goals.

💡Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a French paleontologist and Jesuit priest who is mentioned in the script for his divergence from the anti-teleological trend. Influenced by the works of Henri Bergson, Chardin sought to reconcile scientific understanding with a sense of spiritual and religious meaning in the universe. His work, 'The Phenomenon of Man,' is highlighted as an attempt to explore the evolution of life and consciousness towards an ultimate purpose or 'Omega Point.'

💡Convergence

Convergence in the context of the video refers to the evolutionary process where distinct species independently develop similar traits. The script uses the example of 'carcinization,' where different species evolve crab-like features, to illustrate the idea that evolution might be driven towards certain 'archetypal' forms, suggesting a teleological aspect to natural development.

💡Cephalization

Cephalization is the evolutionary trend towards the development of a centralized nervous system and brain. In the script, it is discussed as a significant step in the progression of life, leading to increased cognitive abilities and complex behaviors. It is portrayed as part of the directed evolution towards higher forms of consciousness and intelligence.

💡Noosphere

The Noosphere is a concept introduced by Chardin to describe the sphere of human consciousness and intellectual activity that envelops the Earth. The script discusses the Noosphere as the next stage in planetary development, where human consciousness and technology come together to form a global, interconnected consciousness.

💡Omega Point

The Omega Point is a concept from Chardin's cosmology, representing the ultimate end or purpose of the universe's evolution. The script describes it as a point of maximum complexity and consciousness towards which the universe is evolving. It is portrayed as the final Telos or goal of cosmic and biological evolution.

💡Anthropic Principle

The Anthropic Principle is a philosophical consideration that observations of the universe must be compatible with the conscious and sapient life that observes it. The script critiques this principle as an unsatisfactory explanation for the apparent fine-tuning of the universe for life, suggesting that it does not account for the universe's actual properties and the potential existence of other types of observers.

💡Symbiogenesis

Symbiogenesis is a term used in the script to describe the process by which different life forms come together to create new, integrated wholes. It is related to the concept of 'sympoiesis,' which is the idea of self-creation and other-creation through mutualistic associations. The script uses this term to illustrate the cooperative and integrative aspects of evolution.

💡Process Philosophy

Process Philosophy is a philosophical approach that views reality as fundamentally composed of processes rather than static substances. The script briefly mentions Alfred North Whitehead, a prominent process philosopher, suggesting that his ideas could complement Chardin's cosmology by emphasizing the continual actualization of synthesis in every moment of existence.

Highlights

The concept of teleology, which fell out of favor in the late 19th and 20th centuries, is explored in the context of Aristotle's philosophy, including his four distinct forms of Telos.

Aristotle's four forms of Telos (material, efficient, formal, and final) are explained using the example of a statue, illustrating the different underlying factors shaping entities in the world.

The rise of reductionist materialism post-Galileo and Descartes led to a separation of teleology from causation, with only the formal and final Telos being seen as relevant to human or divine activity.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's divergence from anti-teleological reductionism is highlighted, influenced by his passion for natural science and religiosity.

Teilhard de Chardin's experiences from World War I and his theological influences shaped his views on the convergence of human evolution towards a singular form.

Teilhard de Chardin's controversial ideas and their conflict with the Catholic Church are discussed, including the official decree against his works.

The phenomenon of 'convergence' in evolution, such as in the case of 'carcinization' and the development of complex eyes, is presented as evidence against the randomness of evolutionary outcomes.

The 'Omega Point' theory by Teilhard de Chardin is introduced, suggesting the cosmos is driven towards a final state of unification within a cosmic consciousness.

The critique of the anthropic principle is presented, arguing against the idea that the universe's properties are solely due to the necessity for complex life's emergence.

The concept of 'sympoiesis' by Donna Haraway is mentioned, expanding on the idea of self-creation in biological life and its role in evolution.

Teilhard de Chardin's view of human evolution as a 'harmonization' process leading to the emergence of Homo sapiens as a culmination of cognitive development.

The idea of 'Noogenesis' is discussed, referring to the emergence of a planetary consciousness as humanity develops global interconnectedness.

The potential theological implications of the Omega Point are explored, with connections drawn to Christian concepts of redemption and the spirit of Christ.

Objections to Teilhard de Chardin's cosmology are raised, questioning why multiplicity and chaos exist if the cosmos is ultimately directed towards synthesis.

A comparison with Alfred North Whitehead's process philosophy is suggested as a way to reconcile discrepancies between Teilhard de Chardin's and modern astrophysics' views on the universe's fate.

The video concludes by emphasizing the significance of Teilhard de Chardin's ambitious attempt to understand the universe, life, consciousness, and the nature of reality.

Transcripts

the concept of teleology is one which

over the course of the late 19th and

20th centuries came to fall heavily out

of favor within the Realms of academic

sciences and anglophone analytic

philosophy

Telos is a term derived from the

philosophy of ancient Greece and was

particularly significant within the

thinking of Aristotle

Telos is often translated as the word

cause though this rendition of the

concept can be rather misleading as we

will see

Aristotle wrote of four distinct forms

of Telos each being one of the

underlying factors which gave shape to

the entities which we encounter in the

world

these were the material Telos the

efficient Telos the formal Telos and the

final Telos

we can understand this conceptual

framework by looking at the example of a

statue

the material tell us of the statue is

the marble out of which the statue is

made the efficient Telos consists of the

actual chiseling the physical work which

goes into creating the statue

the formal Telos consists of the formal

Elements which the statue's Creator

seeks to realize in the creation of the

statue the ideas Concepts or aesthetic

principles which guide the statute's

creation

the final Telos then is the purpose of

the statue the reason why it is created

what purpose it serves or what its

creation attempts to achieve

within this form of thinking causation

and purpose are understood to be of a

common essence

for the ancient Greek mind purposiveness

was seen as an inherent aspect of the

natural world a fundamental principle

among the forces which give shape to the

world

with the rise of reductionist

materialism beginning with the works of

figures such as Galileo and Renee

Descartes teleology would come to be

conceptually separated from causation

the material and efficient telloy would

come to be understood as causal in a

fundamental sense and today it is common

for the word causation to refer

specifically to either the physical

impacts of certain events upon others

that is efficient telloy or to the

material constituency of an object or

process that is what materials compose

things or material telloy

the term teleology then came to refer

specifically to the formal Telos and

final Telos

within the Paradigm of reductionist

materialism efficient and material

telloy were regarded as fundamental to

reality while formal and final telloy

came to be regarded as only relevant to

the realm of human activity or to the

activity of God

the modern mind came to see that the

world was primarily composed of mere

matter and that such matter lacking

agency or Consciousness was simply an

inert kind of substance which was shaped

entirely by efficient and material

causation unless the influence of human

or divine intervention came into play

materialism resulted in a bifurcation of

teleology from causality and this

bifurcation mirrored the corresponding

bifurcation of mind and matter

thus the standard Paradigm of modern

science gradually attempted to purge

teleological thinking from scientific

discourse

science came to be regarded as an

understanding of the world which reduced

all apparent purposiveness of the

natural world to the mechanical

unfolding of processes which were

ultimately blind meaningless and random

this trend of anti-teleology would

become an entrenched Dogma by the early

20th century but this form of thought

was far from universally accepted by

either philosophers or scientists

one thinker who would radically diverge

from this tendency of anti-teleological

reductionism was the French

paleontologist and cosmologist Pierre

tejhard deshardan

born 1881 chardan was a man who was

possessed by a passion for both Natural

Science and religiosity

he was influenced very early in his

scientific career by The Works of Andre

Berkson particularly by bergson's

creative evolution in which bergson

articulated an understanding of life

nature and evolution which contrasted

drastically with the mechanistic

materialism which had come to dominate

the discourse of established scientific

institutions

in 1911 at the age of 30 Chardon was

officially ordained as a priest of the

Jesuit order

the first world war would only come to

strength and chardon's sense of

religious conviction serving as a

stretcher Bearer for the eighth Moroccan

rifles of the French colonial army

chardan would describe his experience in

the war as a quote meeting with the

absolute end quote

in this statement we can see an

indication of Sheridan's sense of

religiosity

one colored by the metaphysics and

phenomenological Theology of German

idealism and French spiritualism

in 1923 chardan would travel to China

where he would participate in geological

and paleontological research which

included the discovery of the now famous

Peking man hominid fossils

due to his continued interest in

evolutionary and geological history

chardan was forced by his superiors

within the Jesuit order to resign from

his position at the Catholic Institute

of Paris

among both scientists and his fellow

Catholics Chardon was an immensely

controversial figure and the holy office

of Pope John the 23rd even administered

an official decree which derided

shardan's works as both erroneous and

dangerous

Chardon was faced with burning questions

from both Realms of his life and career

on the one hand were the realities of

violence cruelty suffering and seemingly

senseless

industrialized Slaughter of his fellow

human beings which he experienced during

the first World War

on the other was the image of human

Natural History which was increasingly

coming into Focus through the

compounding of

paleoanthropological evidence

both dimensions of chardon's Life seem

to demand an answer to the same

underlying question what meaning can be

found in the great Narrative of the

human journey of the coming to being of

homo sapiens and of the unfathomably

glacial processions of geological time

which had slowly generated the

conditions for human existence

how and why did we arrive at this

peculiar moment of cosmic history and to

what end is this vast Journey ultimately

aimed

in his attempts to answer these

questions Jordan would compose his most

significant work the phenomenon of man

though this work was written during the

1930s due to the controversy surrounding

Chardonnay and his ideas the book would

not be published until 1955 following

his death

the phenomenon of man would subsequently

be translated into English and forwarded

by chardan's longtime colleague Julian

Huxley who is himself an immensely

significant figure in the history of

evolutionary thought

Julian Huxley and his brother the

groundbreaking novelist and philosopher

Aldous Huxley were the grandchildren of

Thomas Henry Huxley the biologist and

Anthropologist who had been dubbed

Darwin's Bulldog due to his polemical

defenses of darwinian theory during the

late 19th century

Julian in many ways followed in the

footsteps of his grandfather and became

one of the most prominent figures in the

development of the neo-darwinian

synthesis a framework which would become

the prevailing Paradigm of evolutionary

theory throughout the 20th century

in his forward to the phenomenon of man

Huxley is unhesitant to remark his

reservations about some of chardon's

ideas at least with regard to the manner

in which chardan attempts to reconcile

and synthesize his evolutionary

narrative with his Christian theological

doctrines

nevertheless even huxley's own views

regarding religiosity were much more

nuanced than a blunt and simplistic

atheism

in 1969 he wrote

quote many people assert that this

abandonment of the god hypothesis means

the abandonment of all religion and all

moral sanctions this is simply not true

but it does mean once our relief at

jettisoning and outdated piece of

ideological Furniture is over that we

must construct something to take its

place

philosophy is certainly not one which

could be described as an abandonment of

a god hypothesis is nonetheless the case

that shardam was seeking a solution to

the problem which Huxley clearly saw

Dan sought a way to reconcile the human

sense of meaning purpose Transcendence

and Divinity with the complex realities

which were being revealed by the

advances of scientific naturalism

Jordan saw the empirical evidence

afforded by paleoanthropology as itself

indicative of something peculiar about

the place of humankind and evolutionary

history and Huxley indicates within his

forward that he saw chardine's insights

here to be accurate chardan notes that

with regards to most biological groups

we find a common pattern of Divergence

and diversification

Darwin's finches for example all share a

common ancestor yet as these creatures

spread out across the Galapagos Islands

separate groups began to diverge and

their physiology behavior and ecological

roles

overall this process of Divergence is

seen throughout evolutionary history yet

with the Journey of human evolution we

see instead what seems to be almost the

exact opposite process at work

rather than a Fanning out of

diversification hominid Evolution

instead appears as a convergence upon a

single form

though many forms of hominids have

existed within the roughly four to six

million years which have elapsed since

our Divergence from the great apes

the progression of hominid Evolution

seems to have been a consistent motion

towards the realization of the same

possibility

within almost every step of the hominid

Journey we see increases in brain size

and a concerted development of bipedal

locomotion and other physiological

characteristics all of which predisposed

us towards the eventual development of

language complex social organization and

Tool usage

hominid Evolution rather than resulting

in a diverse array of unique and

separate forms instead has converged

upon a singular form which seems to be

the realization of a possibility which

lured hominid Evolution forward from our

most primordial Origins and into the

present condition of a singular extant

hominid species

though the coming to being of homo

sapiens may be the most significant

development in The evolutionary journey

of Life on this planet

it is actually not the only example of

such an evolutionary lure

one other example which I see is

illustrative of a very similar process

can be seen in the evolutionary tendency

which zoologists refer to as

carsonization

carsonization refers to the apparent

tendency of certain invertebrates from a

diverse variety of evolutionary lineages

to converge upon a crab-like form

common characteristics among species

which have undergone carcinization

include drastically reduced abdomen size

the broadening and flattening of the

cephalothorax and a number of other

oddly specific features such as sexual

dimorphism which seems to be specialized

to accommodate a crab-like morphology

these distinct species do not share

these common crab-like characteristics

because they all share a common ancestor

which possessed such features many of

these crabs belong to evolutionary taxo

which are not closely related yet

nevertheless we see here a convergence

of numerous features Within These

distinct groups

is commonly assumed that evolution is

essentially a random process which would

imply that if we were to rewind the

clock of natural history and replay the

evolution of life on Earth

that we would be likely to see radically

different outcomes if minor

contingencies were able to result in

massive alterations over time

evolution is understood to be an

algorithmic process which essentially

acts upon mutational dice rolls and if

the dice weren't rolled again then the

outcomes of evolutionary processes would

come to be radically different

yet with this process of carsonization

we see an indication that this

assumption may be misplaced

carsonization seems to indicate that

crabness maybe something more like a

kind of archetypal form one which many

different forms of creatures come to be

lured towards due to the effectiveness

and versatility of this archetype

if we were to find life on another

planet assuming that life on this

hypothetical planet is similar to life

on Earth and certain fundamental aspects

such as being carbon based and cellular

then we probably wouldn't be too

surprised to find something resembling a

crab and we might even be able to make

predictions about the behavior and

internal physiology of such Creatures

based on what we know about crab-like

creatures here on Earth

crabness then could be regarded as a

kind of structure of potentiality

certain possible organic features seem

to go hand in hand independently of

historical contingencies and thus the

crab archetype is something which we can

see as realizing itself within distinct

biological lineages and time periods

we see an even more dramatic example of

such convergence in the phenomenon of

eyes

scientists believe that complex eyes

have evolved more than one and a half

thousand times throughout the course of

evolution

having eyes is a very good trick and a

huge variety of creatures have thus

developed the same archetypal feature

independently of one another

if we look for examples of such

phenomena throughout nature we find that

such archetypal convergences appear to

be the rule rather than the exception

the extinct Family emphasiana Day

consisted of dog-like creatures which

shared many physiological

characteristics with bears

though not directly related to Modern

Bears these creatures nevertheless

evolved very similar features presumably

due to occupying a very similar

ecological niche likewise many distinct

groups of creatures have throughout

evolutionary history developed very

shrew-like characteristics we could say

that the Shrew archetype is a structure

of potentiality which has been realized

by a many distinct evolutionary Pathways

by numerous biological lineages within

distinct time periods and Geographic

habitats

thus it appears that evolution is much

less random than we might otherwise

assume as the landscape of potential

forms which Evolution might come to

actualize is a landscape which has

certain defined structural features

despite the immense diversity of forms

contained within it a number of distinct

archetypes come to give shape to

evolutionary developments and

evolutionary diversification might be

seen as being a process by which

pathways are carved out which allow for

the realization of such archetypes

in looking at the history of hominid

Evolution chardan sees a similar process

at work yet one with much more profound

implications for our overall

understanding of evolutionary history

itself

Jordan sees the entire course of

evolutionary history as a process which

seems to be aimed towards the eventual

coming into being of homo sapiens or at

least something very much like us which

would be an actualization of the same

underlying archetype that is humankind

what's a pathway towards the

actualization of this archetype came to

be opened our hominid ancestors seem to

have made a very directional b line

toward such actualization

within the phenomenon of man chardan

sketches out the history of evolution

not just of the evolution of life on

Earth but the evolution of the cosmos as

a whole

in such a way as to illustrate what he

sees as an inherent teleological impulse

directed towards the realization of

biological life complex multicellularity

centralized nervous systems human

existence and ultimately a grand

convergence upon what he terms the Omega

point

and chardan's view the evolution of the

cosmos is not at all the random

purposeless Meandering of inert

mechanical causation

rather the cosmos we inhabit is indeed

driven towards a kind of attractor or

what Terence McKenna would describe as a

transcendental object at the end of

History

a potentiality which as a sort of

teleological gravity pulls time itself

towards its realization

in the phenomenon of man chardan begins

his exploration by looking to the nature

of pre-biological matter itself

the fundamental building blocks which

comprise our Cosmos

Jordan explains that even in its most

rudimentary and pre-biological state

matter itself can be seen as expressing

certain fundamental characteristics

which lay a groundwork from which the

Journey of life might then spring forth

these are characteristics which might

seem so Universal and so obvious that we

may not even notice them yet these

properties of matter are immensely

significant within the context of the

grand creative teleological Advance

which Jordan sees in Cosmic evolution

matter consists of basic elements which

exhibit multiplicity as well as

uniformity

there are innumerable electrons photons

and hydrogen atoms which comprise our

Cosmos yet each of these particular

categories is itself entirely uniform

every individual electron behaves

exactly like every other electron and

every proton is identical to every other

proton this might not seem at first to

be a very consequential observation but

it is rather easy to imagine that things

might have been different

we can easily imagine a world comprised

of particles which each behaved in

unique ways without adhering to strict

categories a world in which every unique

building block acted in accordance with

its own unique properties

we could just as easily imagine a world

which was comprised of only one entity a

singular particle which did not behave

consistently at all but rather which

seemed to act in accordance with

principles which changed dramatically

from moment to moment

yet the properties of matter which we do

in fact observe within our world seem to

be exactly the kinds of properties which

would be necessary for the eventual

development of life

this duality of uniformity and

multiplicity seems to provide exactly

the conditions which would be necessary

for the fundamental entities of our

world to be able to come together so as

to develop novel forms of complexity

through the integration of Multiplicity

it's usually at this point that Skeptics

of such teleological narratives would

point to the so-called anthropic

principle

this principle is actually an argument

which states that the properties of the

cosmos must conform to whatever

conditions are necessary for the

emergence of complex life

if a cosmos were not characterized by

such properties then so the argument

goes there would be no observers within

such a universe which could take note of

its properties yet we humans are

certainly here and certainly able to

consider the properties of the universe

as they are as such the only real

possibility is that we should find a

universe which looks as though it were

conditioned specifically for the

emergence of complex life

there is much more to be said about this

line of reasoning than what I can say

here but before moving forward I would

like to outline some reasons why I see

this anthropic principle as an

unsatisfactory and misleading

explanation

to begin the anthropic principle assumes

that the only possible observers which

could exist in any Universe are

observers like us which evolved through

the gradual complexification of

Consciousness through biological

evolution yet we don't necessarily have

reason to believe that that is the case

to illustrate why let us look at a

thought experiment known as the

boltzmann brain

within the boltzmann brain thought

experiment we are asked to imagine a

universe which is infinite or at least

incomprehensibly fast which is subject

to Quantum fluctuations and fluctuations

of thermodynamic equilibrium

most of this universe would consist of

essentially nothing except for tiny

unnoticeable and inconsequential

fluctuations which rapidly Decay back

into the abyss of thermodynamic

equilibrium from which they arose

yet if we imagine this universe to be

temporally infinite or at least to exist

over a mentally vast time scales than

simply due to the nature of random

chance eventually a complex intelligence

would spontaneously emerge from this

abyss of random fluctuations

such a boltzmann brain would find itself

within a truly meaningless universe and

such a mind would then reasonably

conclude that it came into being for no

reason as it did indeed come into being

due to fluctuations of genuinely

meaningless noise

now it isn't terribly important here

whether boltzmann brains actually exist

or if such universes of purely random

fluctuations are actually out there

somewhere within some hypothetical

Multiverse

what is important however is that the

bolts membrane thought experiment

illustrates a crucial flaw in the

anthropic principle argument

it is at the very least logically

possible that we could have found

ourselves to be boltzmann brains looking

out at a cosmos comprised only of

meaningless noise there is nothing which

bars that possibility and yet the

universe we do indeed find ourselves

within is not one of Such Noise

rather what we find is a universe within

which the most fundamental properties of

reality seem to be pregnant with the

possibility of complexification and thus

ultimately the actualization of complex

cellular life

the anthropic principle argument also

assumes the existence of a very

particular kind of Multiverse

now it may very well be the case that we

exist within some kind of Multiverse and

cosmologists have entertained many

different forms of Multiverse theories

yet for the anthropic principle argument

to actually work we must assume that our

universe is part of a very specific kind

of Multiverse

in order to explain the apparent latency

of life within our own Universe by

invoking the anthropic principle we must

assume that our universe is one of

innumerable universes and that each of

these separate universes are conditioned

by fundamental principles that are

essentially determined at random within

such a vast Multiverse most universes

would be entirely lifeless and inert and

most would consist of essentially

nothing

yet due to the random dice rolls which

determine the fundamental laws of these

individual universes some of these

universes would be bestowed the

necessary preconditions for the eventual

emergence of complex life

and yet there is no actual reason

whatsoever to believe that such a

Multiverse actually exists it could just

as easily be the case that our universe

is part of a Multiverse in which every

individual universe is determined by the

exact same fundamental principles

likewise it could also very well be the

case that our own universe is the only

universe that actually exists and of

course the only Universe we actually

have any evidence of is our own Universe

in either case the anthropic principle

fails to account for that which actually

stands in need of explanation the actual

Universe we actually find ourselves

within and the properties which we find

it to have

saw this latent capacity for

complexification as indicative of a much

greater purposiveness which he saw as

conditioning the procession of cosmic

and biological evolution at Large

for chardan it is not simply that our

universe seems to be directed towards a

kind of ultimate goal but rather that

our universe is in fact directed towards

such an aim

this ultimate Telos or Omega point is

found within the grand scope of cosmic

Evolution and also in the very Bedrock

principles which govern the nature of

our reality at the most fundamental

levels

moving on to examine the nature of

biological life itself chardan sees a

clear continuation of this tendency

expanding upon the more basic

pre-biological processes of matter

biological life proceeds in accordance

with a number of certain modalities

which give shape to life and its

Evolution throughout time

along with self-organization growth

reproduction and incremental Innovation

life also exhibits a kind of fundamental

Eros by which life comes to synthesize

the diversities it is produced so as to

amplify and expand its own possibilities

Jordan describes this inner Eros in

terms of conjugation and Association

in the former case we have the processes

of sexual reproduction by which life is

able to blend with itself so as to

produce ever more forms of novelty and

thus by which new Pathways of

potentiality are opened to the

progression of evolution

in the latter case we have the

propensity of life for coalescing into

unities which transcend their individual

constituents mere groupings become

coordinated colonies and such colonies

come to be multicellular organizations

of specialized classes of cells tissues

organs and organ systems

this Eros is what the philosopher of

biology Donna haraway would describe as

sympoiasis

elaborating upon Francisco Valero's

notion of autopoiesis or self-creation

haraway understands sympoiesis to be a

kind of self-creation and other creation

through processes of mutualistic

participatory entanglements associations

conjugations and interweavings

life is a process of becoming and this

becoming is a process of continual

metamorphosis through ecological and

metabolic enfolding

it is through this sympoietic Eros that

as Alfred North Whitehead would say the

many become one and are increased by one

as Jordan sees it these features of Life

are not in any way accidental or

contingent but are rather fundamental to

the nature of life itself and thus

fundamental to their conditioning of the

trajectory of Life towards the

realization of the structures of

possibility which are latent within the

very nature of the cosmos which we

inhabit

moving forward through the history of

evolution chardan then brings our

attention to the process of

cephalization

organisms begin to develop complex

nervous systems and behavioral patterns

and we then begin to see the tendency of

life to organize its nervous structures

in such a way as to give rise to a

centralized Nexus of sensory and

cognitive processes we see the emergence

of the brain

over the course of hundreds of millions

of years we see a number of other

pivotal developments

vertebra and skeletal structures allow

creatures to develop larger brains and

greater overall size upon land

the development of mammary glands

internal gestation and eventually the

placenta allow for organisms to prolong

the development of Offspring thus

allowing for greater cognitive

plasticity organisms which must fend for

themselves as soon as they are born must

behave in instinctual ways which are

strictly determined by what has proven

effective in the past

conversely organisms which are afforded

longer periods of development and

infantile care have more time during

which brains can develop and in which

those brains can come to learn more

complex behavioral patterns which could

not have been strictly encoded by

heredity alone

Jordan sees the tree of life not as a

random walk of probabilistic

contingencies but rather as a feeling

forward of Life towards the realization

of its own innate potentials as we look

at the Fanning of the Tree of Life over

geological time we see that many

creatures come and go with the vast

majority of particular species coming to

be extinct over the course of

evolutionary development

yet we also see that new developments of

cognitive complexity are never relegated

to the sands of time upon each step of

this procession of cephalization and

cognitive complexification novel

developments are continually retained

and subsequently built upon by Evolution

certain forms come to be entrenched

particularly within certain groupings of

related ecological niches

jellyfish of the phyla tenofora and

nidaria for example have scarcely

changed it all over the course of the

over 500 million years in which they

have existed on our planet

yet with each evolutionary Epoch we see

a branching out of life's diversity in

which Innovations of complexity and

cognition are retained while forms which

are relevant only to very specific

ecological conditions more often become

extinct as the conditions of Earth's

biosphere come to mutate over geological

time frames

this gradual process has within the past

few million years resulted in the

emergence of humankind a process which

chardan refers to as harmonization

although the Journey of life is

certainly not yet complete we do have

some reason to believe that in terms of

neurophysiological development human

beings May indeed be a kind of final

ultimate achievement

having even larger brains is unlikely to

increase our intelligence as there are

diminishing returns to increases in

brain size and there are reasons to

believe that the current size of the

human brain is very close to that

threshold of diminishing returns and

cognitive capability

yet chardonn sees the emergence of

humanity and the development of human

civilization as being merely the

beginning of yet another process one

which is currently well underway and

which is planetary in proportion

as human beings have come to expand

across the globe and have proceeded from

mechanical Technologies towards the

emergence of information Technologies we

see the beginnings of what chardan dubs

Noah Genesis the emergence from the

Earth's biosphere of the NOAA sphere

although he wrote more than half a

century before the Advent of personal

computers or the internet chardan

predicted that the continuing

development of human consciousness would

come to result in a kind of planetary

nervous system by which human

consciousness would come to enfold upon

itself just as cellular life had once

enfolded so as to give rise to

multicellularity what chardan envisioned

was the gradual development of a kind of

planetary Consciousness which would

allow the Earth to continuously and

consciously direct its own regulation

and its own future

Jordan's vision is not one of ultimate

homogenization a future in which

Humanity comes to be dissolved into a

singular Titanic totality within which

all uniqueness personality and diversity

are melded together rather he sees a

future in which the great swath of

diversities created by the human Journey

coalesce so as to complete one another

for chardan the now emerging NOAA sphere

will be an achievement of synthesis and

integration not of homogenization and

standardization

our current situation within the

histories of the cosmos of life and of

human consciousness is of pivotal

significance for two reasons on the one

hand it is only very recently that human

consciousness has come to an awareness

of the nature of time itself not time as

a cyclical reiteration of the past nor

as a mere mechanical falling of causal

dominoes but rather as a spiral as a

progression which feels its way forward

into the realization of possibilities

which magnetize the processes which

comprise the world

this unfolding awareness of evolutionary

time is the succumbing to awareness of

the nature of Consciousness itself as

the self-consciousness of evolution

itself

at every moment each individual human

consciousness steers itself through a

space of possibilities towards certain

actualizations and this process itself

is a hyper accentuated and focused form

of the general process by which Cosmic

Evolution has brought us to our present

state

on the other hand we have the

planetization of human consciousness as

human technological and economic Powers

have spread out and coalesced with one

another as they have stretched out

across the globe so too have human

culture and social organization come to

merge so as to form a unified synthesis

as this Grand ecological and cognitive

synthesis continues to unfold in the

biosphere we will see the gradual

synthesis of all life within an

integrative Collective Consciousness

which is more than the sum of its parts

yet in no way exhaustive of the

diversities which come to be contained

within it yet Jordan tells us that this

coming to being of the NOAA sphere is

only the most imminent development of a

process which is by no means complete

and one which is not only planetary but

also Cosmic in scale

this is of course the Omega point the

ultimate unification of all reality

within a cosmic synthesis of

consciousness

although chardan is quite reserved in

his speculations about what might be in

store for the Deep future of life and

Humanity he nevertheless contends that

we can clearly see the overall curvature

of the grand Arc of cosmic history as

chardan sees it the cosmos as a whole is

ultimately destined towards becoming

encompassed within consciousness

this Omega point is of theological as

well as cosmological significance

chardan argues that this ultimate

encompassment within Cosmic

Consciousness will be not only a grand

harmonization but also a grand

Redemption and sublimation of all that

has occurred within the history of the

cosmos including human history the Omega

point will come to Encompass not only

the entire Cosmos within some distant

future state but will also come to

Encompass the past as well

as such the Omega point will result in

an ultimate synthesis not only of matter

but of all Consciousness which has

existed within the entire scope of

cosmic history each and every unique

personality which has come and gone

within the history of our world will

come to live within the indefinitely

complexifying consciousness of the Omega

point

and thereby all of that which has been

lost throughout the tumultuous and often

violent history of the world will come

to be renewed and redeemed the Omega

Point thus corresponds in Jordan's view

to the spirit of Christ within Christian

theology it is the love which animates

the cosmos and to which the cosmos is

ultimately aimed it is the ultimate

purpose of the cosmos its logos Telos

and idos through which all loss Agony

and suffering are ultimately sublimated

and thus redeemed

in Aristotelian terms we could say that

the Omega point is the final Telos of

cosmogenesis itself

before bringing this discussion to a

close I would like to raise some

objections and qualifications of

chardon's cosmology from my own

perspective

I see sure Dan's ideas as immensely

significant though there are certain

regards in which I see his conception of

the cosmos as incomplete

chardan's Cosmic teleology is one which

is as we have seen directed inexorably

towards a state of ultimate synthesis

and harmonization

but this framework seems to me to beg a

very important question if the cosmos is

drawn ultimately towards such a state of

synthesis why do diversity dissonance

multiplicity and Chaos even exist at all

modern astrophysical cosmology as well

as many theological forms of cosmology

seem to indicate that the cosmos began

from a state of ultimate unity the

universe is said to have sprung forth

from a unitary

Singularity a state of undifferentiated

Oneness or pure potentiality

why then did the cosmos not then simply

remain in such a state of singular

Harmony indefinitely why didn't Brahman

simply remain only Brahman why did the

Elohim feel the need to stir the face of

the deep rather than remaining in the

state of pure Oneness from which all

things came to be it seems to me that

there is something missing within

shardan's analysis he sees the cosmic

Telos as being synthesis within

Consciousness and he sees this synthesis

as a unification of Multiplicity rather

than a dissolution within homogeneity

but he does not account for how such

multiplicity might arise to begin with

chaos itself seems to be simply a given

for chardan and it seems to me that this

in itself is an oversight

if we conceptualize the ultimate aim of

the cosmos not as unity in itself but

rather as the harmonization of

difference

then we can see that the ultimate Cosmic

Telos actually consists of a polarity of

distinct aspects we have on the one hand

the impulse towards difference and the

perpetuation of difference

out of this archetypal impulse emerges

chaos separation and dissonance but also

uniqueness individuality diversity and

contrast

on the other hand we have the impulse

towards the synthesis or harmonization

of such differences the many become one

and are increased by one and thereby the

multiplicities generated by the Cosmos

come to be unified in Evermore Grand and

complex forms of unification

the cosmic Omega then is in my view a

polarity of consonants and dissonance

light as well as Darkness as the

ultimate aim of cosmic evolution is not

merely unification but rather it is the

drive towards intensity of beauty

experience

Consciousness and numinosity this drive

towards intensity itself implies and

necessitates contrast difference chaos

darkness and indeed pain anxiety and

destruction

chardan's cosmology also seems to imply

that the Omega point is in fact an

ultimate future state in which all

things come to coalesce within the unity

of Consciousness on a cosmic scale

this too seems to be at odds with what

is indicated by modern astrophysics

Although our current understanding of

the physical nature history and future

of the cosmos is far from complete what

contemporary astrophysics seems to

indicate is that on the largest of

temporal scales the universe is not in

fact destined towards an ultimate

coalescence but rather towards an

ultimate dissolution back into the

quantum void from which it emerged the

physical universe is expanding and this

rate of expansion is increasing further

the assumptions about the nature of

matter and energy which currently holds

sway within physics indicate that the

overall entropy of the universe is

destined to increase over the course of

cosmic time scales this is to say that

the amount of difference in energy

distribution within the cosmos will come

to decrease over the course of vast time

scales possibly leading to an ultimate

breakdown and dissolution of matter and

eventually of space-time itself these

facts would seem to contradict chardan's

overall cosmology in which Jordan

foresaw the universe as ultimately

destined towards a coalescence of all

things into his singular imminent form

of Consciousness it would seem that the

lure of chardan's Omega points May

indeed result in the evolution

involution and unfolding of

Consciousness in a localized manner such

as within the history of the earth and

Humanity but that this lure may be

unable to achieve the grand synthesis

which chardan envisioned to occur at a

cosmic scale

but I think that we can see a potential

resolution to these discrepancies if we

turn to the work of Alfred North

Whitehead another significant Pioneer

within the tradition of process

philosophy and a contemporary of chardan

although a truly rigorous comparison of

Whitehead with Jordan is far beyond the

scope of this video I think that briefly

contrasting shardaan's cosmology with

that of Whitehead will be very

illustrative of how the two thinkers

might complement one another within

Whitehead's process relational cosmology

we see a cosmos which is not necessarily

aimed towards a singular Grand

unification to be achieved at some point

in the distant future

rather we see a cosmos which due to its

most fundamental nature is continually

achieving a kind of ultimate synthesis

with each and every moment according to

Whitehead there is no need for the past

to be redeemed in some definite future

state of unity as every moment of

Consciousness comes to be incorporated

into a cosmic totality as it perishes

into the past

the past therefore is for Whitehead a

continually expanding totality of cosmic

Consciousness in which all things are

immortalized and thereby sublimated into

the whole of the cosmos

the cosmic Redemption which chardan

envisioned would therefore be something

which is being continually realized

rather than waiting to be fulfilled by

some distant future state of the

universe

as such we could say that even if the

universe as a whole is destined towards

a final dissolution due to the

inexorable procession of entropy and

Cosmic expansion the cosmos can

nonetheless be seen to be driven by an

all-encompassing Telos just as Chardon

describes the Omega is very much

operative in driving the grand process

of cosmogenesis but it is a kind of

transcendental love which is comprised

of both light and darkness and which

comes to be continually actualized

within the whole of cosmic Evolution and

thus within every moment of human

existence

however we might interpret the ideas

found within chardon's work it is

nevertheless abundantly clear to me that

his thought is uniquely significant he

was a thinker who was immensely

ambitious in his attempts to understand

the universe as he sought to account not

only for the actualities of the natural

world and natural history but also for

the meaning of human existence within

such a natural world his thought is

naturalistic yet also cosmological

metaphysical and Theological in thinking

with Jordan we Face ourselves against

truly ultimate questions pertaining to

the nature of Life Consciousness these

struggles of human existence and finally

the nature of reality itself

and that's going to be it for this week

thank you so much for watching as always

be sure to like And subscribe if you

haven't already of course I very much

appreciate everyone who has done so

already I've got a lot of cool projects

that I have planned for this Channel and

I'll be continuing to upload each and

every week for as long as that is

feasible so I hope you guys stick around

for that and with all that said once

again thanks for watching