Saturday, November 21, 2009

(3) Consciousness & Complexity

In the cell, Teilhard believes that "we have...the stuff of the universe
reappearing once again with all its characteristics...only this time
it has reached a higher rung of complexity," and thus has advanced
"still further in interiority, i.e., in consciousness." Teilhard labels
this vast network of living creatures the *biosphere.*

This biosphere, this advancing network of life, has thus far
resulted in the culminating development of man. With the advent
of man, Teilhard believes that cosmic evolution has finally become
conscious of itself...at least on this planet, which is woven into the
cosmic whole. Teilhard opines that the destiny of man is to culminate
into a consciousness of the species.

This consciousness of mankind will ultimately become the "thinking
layer of the Earth," which Teilhard calls the *noosphere.*

Cosmic evolution will not cease with the noosphere. Teilhard does
not consider the human species to be the epitome of the universe;
rather, he believes that Nature provides us with yet anothrer
evolutionary opening...that of a "super-soul above our souls." The
whole "gigantic psycho-biological operation" of cosmic evolution
points toward a "mega-synthesis" of all the thinking elements of the
Earth forcing an entree into the realm of the super-human.

Teilhard refers to the super-human as the "Omega Point." It is, for
him, the apex of cosmic evolution.