For some this may bring to mind genetic engineering. Conscious evolution, however, goes far beyond tinkering with the biology of our develoment as a species. As this is new stage of our evolution it is not yet really clear what is involved. We are like infants learning about their world and learning to speak. It is all new. Depite the lack of clarity of what is involved in our new evolutionary status, most of those who have studied this subject have some areas of basic agreement. At the fringe there is a wide diversity of speculative and imaginative ideas. While there is much here that I remain skeptical of, it seems reasonable that a new evolutionary stage of consciousness would contain elements beyond our current abilities to comprehend. The idea of conscious evolution has probably not even crossed the minds of most people. For most who have heard of the idea I suspect that it is dismissed as too far out.

The idea of a higher state of existence has actually been around for a long time. Most religions have elements that could be considered to be evolved states. In 1901 Richard Maurice Bucke, M.D. wrote a book titled Cosmic Consciousness which has become a classic in the study of sprititual conciousness. He described cosmic consciousness as a state as far above self consciousness as self consciousness is above simple consciousness. "The prime characteristic of cosmic consciousness is, as the name implies, a consciousness of the cosmos, that is, of the life and order of the universe. ... Along with the consciousness of the cosmos there occurs an intellectual enlightenment or illumination which alone would place the individual on a new plane of existence--would make him a member of a new species. ... To this is added a state of moral exaltation, an indescribable feeling of elevation, elation, and joyousness, and a quickening of the moral sense, which is fully as striking and more important both to the individual and to the race than is the enhanced intellectual power. With these come, what may be called a sense of immortality, a consciousness of eternal life, not a conviction that he shall have this, but the consciousness that he has it already."

Teilhard de Chardin

(1881 - 1955)

Teilhard, Jesuit priest and accomplished paleontologist, presented a unique view of evolution. At a time when much of the religious community saw evolution as contrary to their views, he saw evolution as fundamental to God's plan. At a time when many perceived science and religion to be in conflict, he saw them as inseparable.

Teilhard perceived evolution as occurring in four phases:

The first phase of evolution in which matter was formed from energy and assumed ever more complex forms as time passed on. The Omega point of evolution was also the Alpha point and the Alpha point, which is God, is the source of the energy from which the cosmos was and is being created.

The phase of biological evolution, the process by which living organisms change from one species to another over extended periods of time.

The phase of evolution that began when man appeared some one and a half million years ago. It is distinguished from biogenesis in that Noogenesis is evolution in the domain of reflective life. Characterized by the growth of ever more complex and interrelated social institutions, which are raising man's awareness of his place in nature.

This is the final phase of evolution. Historically it began with the birth of Christ, but it is only gradually supplanting the prior evolutionary process of noogenesis. Its primary characteristic is an attitude of genuine love among all men regardless of race, color, creed or nationality. Expression of this attitude in the form of action unifies mankind and draws men nearer to God, their creator.

Teilhard found the principle of evolution to be complexity. More complex things tend to survive and dominate other things that are less complex. Complexity is defined in terms of the number of elements a thing possesses and in terms of the organization among the elements. Complexity tends to increase in time. At a certain level of complexity matter becomes life, life becomes consciousness, consciousness becomes reflective consciousness, reflective consciousness becomes spirit.

Teilhard writes of two forms of energy, tangential, the external energy of physics, and radial energy that is internal. He says that radial energy is the driving force of evolution and can be defined as God's love. Radial energy is increasing through time and more than compensates for the wasted tangential energy or entropy.

A term that Teilhard coined from the Greek 'noos', meaning mind. An envelope surrounding the earth, which is made up of the thoughts of all men; the totality of ideas, philosophies and knowledge which mankind has stored in its collective mind. This has been described as "an interlinked system of consciousness and information, a global net of self-awareness, instantaneous feedback, and planetary communication." His concept suggests an evolutionary development for the planet earth, a planetary nervous system, or something analogous to the cerebral cortex in humans. Many find his concept to anticipate the current phenomena of the Internet and global communications systems.

Teilhard found convergence to be one of the characteristics of evolution. He believed mankind is becoming unified-becoming One. We have entered the compressive phase of noogneic evolution and are moving toward a convergence, the Omega point. Radial energy is now forcing granules of thought to form some sort of superorganism in which individual men are elements of a closed whole much as it drove atoms to form cells, and cells to form man, in earlier times.

The last stage, of which we are a part, involves creatures who are evolution become aware of itself. We turn inwards upon ourselves and hence converge towards Omega because we can see, if we will, that that is where we are going. Fr. Teilhard is saying that we are now part of a developing worldwide superorganism in which, if we love one another, we can achieve a higher life form. Omega truly is the Light of the World, that is, God.

"We have reached a crossroads in human evolution where the only road which leads forward is towards a common passion . . . To continue to place our hopes in a social order achieved by external violence would simply amount to our giving up all hope of carrying the Spirit of the Earth to its limits."

"The Age of Nations is past. The task before us now, if we would not perish, is to build the Earth."

IV. Conscious Evolution Hubbard Weber De Chardin