“natural law” - World view for residents of planet earth – the unfolding of life
This is a world view that will ensure survival and life. It may produce a rational basis for human affairs. It is a narrative description of natural law. It is how the world works.
There is both cooperation and competition in evolution, not just competition. In the earth society everyone tries to understand nature, not just a few. Humans and the earth are part of the process of creation. Evolution has a direction, attributes and humans are involved in the “orderings”. This cosmology is modest and somewhat uncertain. Humans are not central to it. In the beginning changes in creation began with hydrogen, the elements to amino acids. In life creative sunlight is changed into a higher order by a plant during photosynthesis. This energy did not become entropy.
Creation is the process of raising matter from a lower to a higher order – negentropy. This is the creative myth of natural science. It is applicable in other examples such as noise to symphony, colours to painting. These are more ordered, organized. The opposite of creation is destruction, reduction from a higher level to a lower level of order. Evolution is a creative process and retrogression is reductive.
Here are the attributes of each.
Retrogression goes this way -------à
Creative | Reductive |
Evolution Complex, diversity Stability Low entropy(negentropy) High number of species | Retrogressive Simple, uniformity Instability High entropy (sunlight not captured) Low number of species |
Evolution goes this way ß--------------
Entropy is greater randomness, disorder, uniformity. For example, a forest is organized, there is complexity. By contrast, a sand dune is less organized simplicity.
Fitness means that the environment is fit for life and the organism or ecosystem is fit for the environment. This exists in a dynamic equilibrium. The organism adapts the environment to its needs and at the same time adapts itself to that environment. This results in increasing fitness which is evolution. Failure to accomplish this fit is a misfit, not creative. Processes that change the direction of a system to simplicity etc, are entrophic and destructive.
Creative fitting à destructive unfitting
The measure of fitness is evolutionary survival, success of the species or ecosystem plus health.
This means that humans would find an environment that was fit for them, and humans would be fit for the environment. In this creative process the environment becomes more fit and the human adapts the environment and themself.
The process of achieving a fitting between the organism and the environment is a continuous and dynamic one. Evolution is increasing fitness, a creative process.
Two organisms are necessary for life 1. photosynthetic 2. decomposers.. The entire biosphere exhibits altruism. Organisms engage in cooperative arrangements with other organism. Altruism is a concession of autonomy for mutual benefit.
Plants are the best producers of negentropy. Next come the decomposers. All other life forms have much lover values. The marine plants are highest, then terrestrial (on land) plants and then to the animal world.
(I am not sure that I agree with the part that is below. See my comments in italics .BW)
Energy can be considered as information. For example, when heat is on an organism it informs that heat is falling on it. This information only has meaning if the organism can perceive and respond to it.
“The direction of evolution … is toward higher order, more negentrop+y, but …if energy is reconsidered as information, then the capacity to attribute meaning to this energy is also a measure of evolution. If this is so, then apperception is that capacity by which meaning is perceived…If we consider energy as information and use apperception as a value, then quite different creatures assume ascendancy. The evolution of more complex perceiving creatures assumes ascendancy. The evolution of more complex perceiving creatures reflects this value, and here man ranks very high indeed. (What does it matter who is at the top of the pile? BW) p. 121-122“
(However), if we examine the second criterion, that of cooperative mechanisms ensuring survival and directing the arrow of evolution, we confront a more difficult task”. (Why is the author trying to prove that humans are at the top of the pile [have “the highest value”?]?) “…in man, symbioses are more highly developed at the involuntary level – as in intercellular altruism – than in social organization. But, apperception is the key to symbiosis, and man is the most perceptive of creatures. (But, how does man act on these apperceptions? BW).
This, then, is his (man’s) potential: by perceiving and understanding nature, he can contribute to its operation, manage the biosphere, and in so doing, enhance his apperception, which, with symbiosis, appears to be the arrow of evolution. (It looks to me like this is his rationalization for justifying humans (man) as the “steward” to “contribute to evolution” even though he first said that marine plants are the greatest contributors to negentropy – and it is abundantly clear that humans are the greatest contributors to entropy, not negentropy. BW What do you think?).
Humans are a part of nature, not separate from it. “man is (indivisible) “from the rest of the biosphere…man in nature rather than against nature.” All other creatures on earth are of humans.
Humans should not be destructive thermodynamically. The human role is as a cooperative mechanism sustaining the biosphere, using apperception, agent of symbiosis. Each creature /plant is unique, more unique as they become more complex. There is no superiority or inferiority or equality. This uniqueness is the basis of freedom, consideration and deference. Each individual has responsibility for the entire biosphere and is required to engage in creative, cooperative activities.
Anarchy is inappropriate because it replaces creation with randomness. Tyranny is inappropriate because it suppresses uniqueness of the individual and freedom. The concept of creation is poised between the two extremes of anarchy (randomness) and tyranny (denies uniqueness and individual freedom). It is linked to uniqueness, freedom, and the responsibility so that the organism might perform any role that is creative and enhances the biosphere and the evolution of apperception and symbioses.
The elaboration of creatures is the result of an increase in creativity, apperception and, most importantly altruism. Predator and prey relationships are mutually beneficial – culling of aged and unfit. Roles or functions are described as
Sun – first giver
Mountain - bringers of rain
Oceans - home of ancient life
Plant and chloroplast and the plant
Decomposers – return all things
Succession includes 1. pioneers (simple order) 2. plants and simple animals – raises level of order, each successive group raises level of order to climax, the zenith capable of accomplishment. Spring (birth) à working summer à autumn (death) à winter (introspection and preparation) Humans are entirely dependent on the biosphere, a single superorganism. They are similar to an enzyme capable of its regulation and conscious of it. They have responsibility for management because of high level of apperception (here, again, putting humans at the top BW) “Human’s role is of steward of the biosphere and its consciousness.”
What is the nature of man (human species)?
Humans evolved from other life forms. Humans evolved and survived (were successful) because the learned to us e weapons and could kill to live (a predator). In nature, dominance is a reality. Organisms are basically hostile to the unfamiliar. Although altruism within the community is the rule, hostility to the stranger is as strongly instilled.
The survival needs of humans covers from survival to fulfillment. To achieve fulfillment, cooperative relationships are essential. Also, humans need to be creative, the same as all other creatures. Destructiveness is intolerable. The evolution of human societies parallel other species- pioneers, hunters and gatherers, itinerate farmers, burn and cultivate (decomposers and recycler), fixed farmers.
All things are unique, individually and betweens species. All life is sacred, not just that which is useful to humans. When something exists, it is justified by being. It needs no other justification. Any activities by humans will not change the pre-existing conditions unless there are creative and makes an increase in negentropy (no entropy, or loss of energy in the system) or an increase in apperception of the system. (Apperception seems to have been developed by the author solely in relation to humans. Is this a legitimate analysis?)
The biological world we live in requires that substances of living creatures and their wastes be consumed by other creatures in a creative process of the world. Death, too, is part of the creative process moving to higher order of evolution.
The world is an ordered place where creatures respond to physical and biological laws that are intrinsic, self-enforcing. There is no central authority but some relative hierarchies. The living systems on the planet can be called “natural law”. It provides a template for human organization.
Summarized and quoted from Ian McHarg, Design with Nature, p. 117 - 123
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