The Evolution of God

The Evolution of God begins with the theory of Transcendent Evolution, continues with Social Evolution, is elaborated more in the pages on Morality, Ethics, and Law. The story is summarized here from those web pages.

We begin our observation of transcendent evolution at the sub-atomic particle level, which we will dub "proto-matter." We begin here, because we have little or no knowledge before this level. It is a human conceptual limitation, and a limit on our scientific tools, not necessarily a reality that transcendent evolution begins at this level.

It may facilitate understanding to imagine a time-line, where each level of transcendence occurs at a latter time than the former (i.e., an "unfolding" that begins, not with the first simple life form, but at the first atom formation - some time in the distant past. That process may still be continuing today out of sight of our most powerful microscopes. At each stop in time we stop to observe is a snapshot of the process. We assume the process is dynamic and continuous, but we comment on observable static slices in time.

Time 0, Level 0: Some proto-matter coagulates/combines/coalesce/aggregate to form an atom. The atom has properties unique to its level of organization, which are not found in the proto-matter. We say the proto-matter has transcended to an atom, because the atom is a new entity. Although the atom consists of proto-matter components, themselves entities, they are interacting in a common way such that some proto-matter may be taken in or ejected out of the atom without destroying the existence of the atom as an entity.

Time 1, Level 1: Some atoms coagulate/combine/coalesce/aggregate to form a molecule. The molecule is more than just a collection of atoms. It has properties unique to its level of organization, which are not found in the atoms. We say the atoms have transcended to a molecule, because the molecule is a new entity. Although the molecule consists of atom components, themselves entities, they are interacting in a common way such that some atomic particles or perhaps whole atoms may be taken in or ejected out of the molecule without destroying the existence of the molecule.

Something unique is observable at this level – some complex molecules replicate themselves, i.e., they organize surrounding atoms to form a duplicate of its self. We are bordering on, or perhaps defining, the lower limit at which life might be recognized.

Time 2, Level 2: Some molecules coagulate/combine/coalesce/aggregate to form complex super-molecules which are replicating units

-------------- e.g., a crystal - considered inanimate

-------------- e.g., a virus - considered the most primitive life

-------------- e.g., DNA and RNA super molecules - considered the blueprints of higher,
                    complex life form development.

Something unique is observable at this level – some large complex super-molecules organize the immediate environment around them, i.e., they organize surrounding atoms and molecules into complimentary form that extend the influence of itself. We are bordering on, or perhaps defining, the lower limit at which life influences its environment.

Time 3, Level 3: Complex molecules coagulate/combine/coalesce/aggregate to form simple cellular organisms. These cellular organisms are able to replicate themselves.

Let us consider a singled-celled organism. Such organism has properties unique to its level of organization, which are not found in the complex molecules. We say the complex molecules have transcended to a cell, because the cell is a new entity. Although the cell consists of complex and simple molecule components, themselves entities, they are interacting in a common way such that some molecules may be taken in or ejected out of the cell without destroying the existence of the cell.

The cell maintains itself, and regularly replicates itself. We know we have definitely crossed the line into life forms.

Time 4, Level 4: Some simple cellular organisms combine/coalesce/aggregate to multi-cellular animals and plants.

-------------- e.g., a fern (Plants)

-------------- e.g., a segmented worm (Animals)

Let us consider the segmented worm. The worm has properties unique to its level of organization, which are not found in the cells. We say the cells have transcended to a worm, because the worm is a new entity. Although the worm consists of cell components, themselves entities, they are interacting in a common way such that some cells may be taken in or ejected out of the worm without destroying the existence of the worm.

The worm maintains itself, and regularly replicates itself. We easily recognize it as a life form entity apart from its component cells.

Soul

The "soul" can now be defined in its simplest form -– it is that which, with it the entity acts to sustain itself and replicate, but without it the entity ceases to continue and decomposes. It is a transcendent property, which defines the living creature.

The soul is, then, life as an entity – where maintenance of the entity takes precedence over maintenance of the components, where continuance of the entity exceeds continuance of the components. This is the definition of "soul" in Transcendent Reality.

Morphological evolution Something else is observable at level 5, less visible at level 4, and perhaps occurs at Level 3, that wasn’t observed in lower levels of organizations. The worm, in its replication mutates over time through succeeding generations into different body shapes. An entire new property exists in life forms – lateral or morphological evolution. Eventually humans evolve.

Time 5, Level 5: Some animals form a social structures of their progeny, which contain multiple generations.

-------------------- e.g., an Ant nest

-------------------- e.g., a wolf pack

-------------------- e.g., a human family/tribe

Let us confine ourselves to the human animal. Humans form families and tribes. A family is defined as a mother and father and their offspring. An extended family may include prior and later generations. A tribe is defined as a collection of related families. A family may be a weak unit or a strong unit of a tribe.

Family

In Transcendent Reality the family is the basic unit of humans. The family is weakest when neither the mother nor father participate in rearing their children. The family is weak when the mother has children from different fathers, or the father does not participate in rearing the child he sired. The family is strongest when the same father and mother beget all the children and participates in their rearing. The strength of a family - i.e., their loyalty and concern for each other, appears to be analogous to the "god" of the tribe, and the "soul" of an individual. In Transcendent Reality we define the unity of the family as its "soul" and simply call it "family."

Clan

A clan is a collection of related families acting as a unit.  To some degree, clans are just an extended family, but in another sense, a clan may have an internal loyalty that will cause it to battle with other clans, even if there is some degree of familial relation between the warring clans.  A clan is an entity if it can maintain itself independent of the particular families which are its members.  The social cohesion, or “soul” of a clan is just termed “clan identity.”

Tribe

A tribe is a collection of related clans and families acting as a unit.  The tribe is an entity if it can maintains itself independent of the particular clans and families which are its members. Individuals in the tribe are born and die. They are the components of the family and the tribe. The tribe’s existence is not dependent on a particular individual, clan, or family, which may be born or adopted into the tribe, and which may leave, die or be ejected from the tribe.

A tribe can also replicate itself.  Individual families may leave the tribe to form a new satellite or autonomous tribe. Or individuals may leave the tribe to form a new family, eventually new clans, and in sufficient time and favorable circumstances - a new tribe.

god

Something new exists in the tribe that was not seen in families and clans - the tribe adopts a totem, or invents a name that represents the entire tribe. The individual's allegiance to himself and his to family is subjugated to allegiance to the tribe. This tribal unity is the first manifestation of "god." The tribal "god" exists because the tribe cooperates to act as a unit. When the individual and family allegiance to the tribe diminish to the point that it no longer takes precedence over self, family, and clan, the tribe "dies.

We have called the life force in a animal (particularly, a human) its "soul." And we now call the unity of a tribe "god" (the soul of a cooperative group of humans.) If we draw inward to ourselves, we feel our soul. If we look outward to our tribe that we are a component of, we feel our god, which is the soul of the community. In Transcendent Reality we define "god" as the social unity of the tribe.

Time 6, Level 6: Tribes, clans, and families combine/coalesce/aggregate into larger groups that may form a permanent town or city-state.  The city-state develops specialization of effort and responsibilities, and may have a standing army or navy, and public schools.  The city-state becomes an entity when its existence does not depend on the continuance of a particular family, clan, or tribe.  Individual families or tribes may leave or enter the city-state, and it still maintains its identity.  The city-state organizes and acts to continue itself. The city-state evolves into a full-fledged state by establishing or incorporating surrounding towns, villages, and settlements under its governance. The organization/form of a state may develop and evolve over succeeding generations of inhabitants,  Entity states appear to suffer symptoms analogous to the ills and diseases of an animal, to consume and be consumed by other states, and to form "families/alliances" of states.

A nation is defined herein as a collection of states acting in unity.  However, a nation appears to be just a more complex state, and not a transcendence to a superior entity

God

 Something akin to the god of the tribe is observed in the state. The "soul" of the state (that which, with it the state "lives," i.e., continues itself, and replicates, and without it the state dies and disintegrates) is "God," around which all state activity organizes. "God" gives direction and social identity to the state, it is to the God that the component entities subjugate themselves - putting the continuance of the state over their own continuance. When the "God" of a state dies, so dies the state - it discontinues to maintain itself and disintegrates. In Transcendent Reality we define "God" as the soul of a state – the sense of the greater good of the state.

Time 7, Level 7: States or nations may eventually combine/coalesce/aggregate into some larger entity, whose components may be a super-nation or some other form with characteristics very unique and different from states. Perhaps it will be an Earth federation, with a soul (GOD) of its own, and to whom all state components owe allegiance, and whose continuance has priority over the continuance of its components.

We do not know whether states or nations as we know them will be its components. Some might envision the United Nations as such an embryonic entity. However, the United nations is a weak, divided organization, with no real power of its own.  Moreover, the UN is evolving into a tool of the European Union – not serving the interests of more powerful states, particularly the American states. 

Others might speculate that nations and national borders may fall away, and the component of the GOD-level entity will be ethnically related super tribes. A more remote and unlikely dream by some is that we will all so interracially breed that no separate ethnic or racial group remains, and individual humans will be the components of a single super-state.

GOD

 The next level of transcendence, the one in which GOD is formed, does not appear to exist yet, or perhaps it is in process of forming, or "embryonic." By extrapolation of what we have observed to now, perhaps we may envision it. At this point we only speculate at the possible creation of GOD.

Summary of Transcendent Evolution

Let us reflect on our journey through time and transcendent levels, and summarize and generalize on the examples we have considered. In summary, we have followed Transcendent Evolution's entity formation from proto-matter to atom, from atom to molecule, from molecule to single cell, from single cell to multi-cellular animal. Then we morphed into human form through morphological evolution.

From there, Transcendent Evolution continued entity formation on a sociological plane from human family, clan, and tribe, and from tribe to state and nation. We also speculated on an entity from states or nations to a single Earth alliance. We have defined the living entity as having a soul, and defined the soul as "that which, with it, the entity continues, and without it the entity disintegrates." We defined the soul of the family as "family." We have defined "god" as the soul of a tribe, and "God" as the soul of a state or nation. For GOD, we don’t know yet how, or even if, such a transcendent entity will form

We have arrived at logical definitions of god, God, and GOD that are considerably less omnipotent than the grandiose claims made by established religions.  For a discussion of how our definitions compare with other organized religions, and how The One compares to God, see Comparative Religions.  The concepts presented here are also more simply restated in the Seventh Transcendence.