Ideas about evolution

I'm just starting to explore this topic in more depth, but in short here are the two theories I have found about the evolution of life: one is that things (specifically animals), in response to circumstances, adapt themselves to their circumstances and by growing in response to tests, while some members of the species who don't grow die off, living things advance to greater complexity. The other is that since there are some parts of cells that are "irreducibly complex" meaning that they couldn't be broken down into any simpler form in order for that form to, through evolution, develop into those cell parts.

First a third thought of my own (supported and ultimately coming from the Writings): that everything can only move towards a Goal or possibilities that exist, that that Goal must be single since creation is single, that without that Goal or Ultimate Possibility (yet by being infinite ultimately impossible) nothing could progress (see Some Answered Questions, topic 2), and that there must be an awareness on the part of any given thing, right down to atoms, of that goal, otherwise they couldn't advance. Also, since that Goal must be infinite and therefore incomprehensible, what they are aware of that they advance towards is the Manifestation.

I don't think those two theories are irreconcilable. Since God has created our souls to advance, is all-Powerful, and all-Loving, as Baha'u'llah said "O SON OF MAN! Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty." [1] and there is no reason why such a Being would not love and desire good things for all its creation, it makes no sense that any level of its creation would get "stuck" at a certain point in its development. Therefore, more easy to contemplate, the cells of vegetables, probably like algage, eventually developed in single-celled animal organisms, as science already finds the lines between those two categories of living things difficult to define and the differences between them are small. So also we can see how human life developed out of a struggle with the elements and other species and, I believe through the education of earlier Manifestations somewhat unlike the recent Ones, gradually attained its current perfections.

With this in Mind, guided by the principle suggested by the Words of Muhammad: "Fain would they put out the light of God with their mouths! But though the infidels hate it, God will perfect His light." [2], and informed by the suggestions of progress the Writings from phrases like "All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization," [3] I think these irreducibly complex systems are just so in their own kingdom (plant, animal), but were the next step in evolution for an an entire kingdom, like in the progress from algae to single-celled organisms mentioned above. I think the possibility of this movement from the mineral to the vegetable kingdom, which seems hard to consider at first, seems much more likely in the light of this quote from 'Abdu'l-Baha:

When in the Gospels, Christ speaks of 'water', He means that which causes life, for without water no worldly creature can live -- mineral, vegetable, animal and man, one and all, depend upon water for their very being. Yes, the latest scientific discoveries prove to us that even mineral has some form of life, and that it also needs water for its existence. [4]

Another proof of Manifestations working with the earlier levels of creation is that we can't imagine God not being involved in creating and advancing His creation and human life didn't always exist here, therefore it must been the recipient of Manifestations before us. Also, God educated humanity through His Manifestations, therefore he would advance the lower levels of creation through the same means. And since God is one and everything in creating, if it is truly developing, can only develop towards being more like Him and since there is greater Honor in being in a higher Kingdom, as Baha'u'llah states in this quote:

"Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He, through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him -- a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation.... Upon the inmost reality of each and every created thing He hath shed the light of one of His names, and made it a recipient of the glory of one of His attributes. Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all of His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own Self. Alone of all created things man hath been singled out for so great a favor, so enduring a bounty." [5]

The only way a lower level of creation could develop to being more like God would be to advance to the next level of Creation. The Manifestations and God are not part of this, because the Manifestation is perfect in some way we don't understand and God is absolutely and completely perfect and without imperfection.

Another addition to the theory about creation: it is only as the next level of creation attains its glory that the level of creation before it is able to undertake more of the development of which it is capable. For example, scientist think that nearer the beginning of the universe there were only twelve elements in existence, and it was only as the further development of suns and planets happened that more elements came into existence, which theoretically if enough of them gathered together could coalesce in the same way stars composed of less complex elements do. Of course, since each of these additional sets of elements is created by progressively smaller developments in creation, which I think is proved by the well-grounded theories that Helium (with one proton and one electron) composes 90% of the matter in the universe, and that about two-thirds of the complex minerals found on the earth's surface are a result of the ever-advancing relationships between cell-based life and less developed minerals [6],[7]

That might disprove my 'evolving to the next kingdom' theory, but what else does a chimpanzee have to advance to? Probably more likely, going back to the quote including the words "Upon the inmost reality of each and every created thing He hath shed the light of one of His names, and made it a recipient of the glory of one of His attributes." Perhaps each created thing continues developing the perfections associated with that particular name of God, which must be infinite, and do so in response to environmental situations and by taking in new developments as other parts of creation are given the great Bounty of moving forward, or more likely, always had those potentialities and only gradually unfold them in such a fashion that they become distinct from other species.

I just read something from 'Abdu'l-Baha that I think takes this theory even further: all of these Kingdoms have always existed and have always been distinct, but the full capacity of each is only developed as creation as a whole steps forward one advance at a time, such as how man has just now begun to work and build civilization because of the education and training of the Manifestations. I'm sure there's much more I could say about them, but I need to figure out more about the stable and rational nature of the Universe and the glory of God first. I'm heading in a direction that I think will take me to being able to talk about them with greater certitude. One thing about them: if it is the case that all the Kingdoms and species have always been distinct but that distinction has only gradually unfolded, the One with the greatest distinction in creation must always have been, as I have supposed, a Manifestation of God that was greater than all the the other Kingdoms.

I have to sleep. Good night!

P.S. (Another random thought that occurred in the middle of that): Darwin pointed out that the first cells were safe in their environment because there was no other life to consume them, and if they were created now something would probably gobble them up before they could evolve further. This probably isn't true, because where are the safest, most secure, most prosperous, and richest places for a single celled organism to live? In order: a human body, an animal body, and a vegetable body.

P.P.S. I do not think the ideas of each created thing developing the Names of God they represent without developing beyond them, which I think is implied as the opposite component of there always having been and going to be be man, and each of those species developing as a result of the overall advancement of creation. Now that I think about it, that's probably not the work of a higher level of creation, but more likely of the Manifestation. He did write Tablets in which He had 'conversations' with the cells of His body, a Mountain, and other things, and 'Abdu'l-Baha referred to Him as the Lord of the Universe.

[1] Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words

[2] Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 117

[3] Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 214

[4] Paris Talks, p. 81

[5] Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 65

[6] http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16042-life-caused-explosion-in-our-planets-mineral-wealth.html

[7] http://www.geo.arizona.edu/xtal/group/Downs/MineralEvolutionNatureNews.htm