Vedanta and Evolution

Advaita Vedanta says the one unchanging entity (Brahman) alone is existing- Changing entities do not have absolute existence like the waves have no existence other than the ocean.

Adi Shankara was the first in its tradition to consolidate the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. A famous quote that succinctly summarises his philosophy is:

Brahman is the only truth, the spatio-temporal world is an illusion, and there is ultimately no difference between Brahman and individual self.

Source: Wikipedia

In the Vedantic tradition, the peak of evolution for an individual is the realisation of themself as Brahman, the one without a second. How much this realisation depends upon the evolution of the physical form is difficult to say.

Many believe such a realisation is only possible now by humans as a result of billions of years of evolution. For them, the process has been one of matter becoming increasingly conscious until the realisation of the Atman (the individual soul or true self) is possible.

Andrew Cohen is one popular proponent of this belief with his teaching of "evolutionary enlightenment".

Consciousness and evolution

Evolution is clearly a two way process. Form clearly evolves over time and the consciousness which expresses through (or is created by) that form evolves also.

The conventional, materialistic view is that form evolves through the process of natural selection and that this evolution of form invariably effects the consciousness that is expressed by that form. Obviously, not all variations in form will effect consciousness, but certainly any affecting the nervous system, and particularly the brain, will.

The driver in this view of the evolution of consciousnes is any alteration in form- leading to the alteration in consciousness- which enhances the ability of the living being to survive, reproduce, and raise young that also survive and reproduce and pass on the altered genetic structure that alters consciousness to their progeny.

In this view, any change in form which results in an alteration in consciousness which does not impact positively on the likelihood of physical survival and reprodution will not be likely to last.

In this materialistic view changes in physical form caused by genetic mutation and "screened" by the law of natural selection will be the driving force of changes in consciousness rather than changes in social factors, for example.

(to be continued)

The effect of form on consciousness

One question that arises for those who believe that consciousness precedes or creates form and that form exists wholly within consciousness is how is it that changes in form clearly affect consciousness?

For example, a blow to the head can "extinguish" consciousness, at least for a time. Death, to many, seems like the ultimate extinction of consciousness.

Certain natural and man made substances have radical effects on waking consciousness. These are called "psychedelic" drugs.

And, of course, any waking or dream experience will also impress upon consciousness though perhaps will not fundamentally alter the basic characteristics of consciousness.

If one believes, as many do, that consciousness creates form then it is also clear that there exists an apparent 2-way relationship between them.

Consciousness is clearly dependent on the body at least while it is localized in the body. That it may exist in a somewhat different form or at least subject to different constraints outside the body is the conclusion of many metaphysical researchers (e.g. Robert Monroe).

The independent existence of consciousness from the body is generally described as being through its association with a number of "subtler" forms that work through the body when it is active and operate elsewhere at other times. These subler forms are given names such as the astral body, causal body and etheric body amongst others.

(to be continued)

Does form exist within consciousness or is consciousness created by form?

Within the first option is the possibility that form is consciousness "exteriorised" and "objectified" which enables consciousness to then gaze "out" upon itself as if the forms it perceives were somehow seperate from itself, when in fact, they are part of the consciousness itself.

Within this belief is the acceptance that All is One, and that there is no separation between objects and consciousness within this universe. Therefore life is viewed as consciousness exploring Itself through form.

To accept the second premise one must believe that it is possible for form, which is assumed to be free of an "inner life" or consciousness, to somehow, through "natural laws", group together and "miraculously" create consciousness. Many scientists believe that to achieve consciousness a certain level of complexity of form is required usually formed into what is known as a "nervous system".

In the minds of many scientists intelligence and consciousness are not equated. So that, even though it is clear that the smallest forms of life such as amoebas and even bacteria and viruses are intelligent, few scientists would attribute them with the quality of consciousness, or an inner life.

From my own view I believe that without an "inner experiencer" (the I) there would be no creative intelligence.

The existence of machines is often used as an example of how an seemingly "intelligent" form can exist without apparent consciousness. But at this point such machines show no possibility of being able to continue to exist indefinately (without human input) in a changing and unpredictable world as life forms are able to do.

Machines are not creative in any way, a characteristic necessary for life forms to continue to exist and a characteristic that defines all things that are living. This means living things are able to respond to novel situations in ways that help ensure their survival and wellbeing.

It could be argued that the problem is one of complexity and that if machines were created to be as complex as living systems then they too would be able to operate creatively and continue to exist and evolve without human input and without consciousness.

(To be continued...)