podcast: talking over Neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory with Subboor Ahmad
“Teleology is like a mistress to a biologist; he cannot live without her but he’s unwilling to be seen with her in public.”
Subboor Ahmad kindly reached out to me a couple weeks ago to invite me on his show for a conversation over some of the arguments I set forth in “Evolution’s Mistress,” specifically vis-à-vis the question of whether it is feasible to explain life, and its origin and evolution, without appeal to teleology.
Our conversation, which took place this morning (evening for him), was recorded and has been published at the link below, for any readers of Theoria-press who may have interest:
warm regards to all,
Max
The Concept of Spiritual Darwinism
The concept of spiritual evolution, based on the work of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo is quite profound. In itself, it stands as a great effort and contribution to what we call, "Spiritual Darwinism". According to, "Mind of the Cells", by Satprem, he is the one who gives suggestions that we have evolved from the amoeba based on this work. It is based on his activity as personal secretary to the Mother after Aurobindo's death in 1950. In this role, he controlled her every thought and discovery and used it for his own extrapolation. Mother Mirra's investigations into the cellular yoga comprise the period from 1953-1973, at which time she left the earthly plane. It is a monumental achievement in the science of spiritual evolution. It details the fact and proof of what is called, electrocellular light phosphorylation, as the great resolve of the problem of human entropy. Her efforts into this yoga of the cells was most pronounced in the period from 1960 until 1973, and details the corresponding rise of modern technology as a direct consequence of her evolutionary awareness. This awareness also corresponds to our own development in every respect. In other words, it represents a universal fact; the natural drive in all of us seeks to evolve toward self-remembering, a powerful driving force. The Mother detailed her experiences in a 12-volume work called, "The Mothers Agenda". From a purely scientific perspective, her realization stands in direct relation to the fact of electrocellular phosphorylation as an evolution of plant photosynthesis, which in itself, is two thousand years old; the great leavening of bread process.
It all comes down to the method by which the Christ Spirit, the 6-fold Elohim of the Sun, seeks to irradiate His influence into mankind on earth. Man is a created being designed to evolve into the image and likeness of God; evolution and creation together. Aurobindo's great vision was of the supramental manifestation coming to earth. This is what made him the prophet of 'Life Divine'. As such, he was able to detail the progression of events and requirements that constitute man's life in this present cycle of evolution. The Sevenfold Chord of Being; and the Great Knot of Time; and the Double Life of the Soul. Aurobindo proposed all these as facts of his intellectual and clairaudient experiences. And they compose a great contribution to the 'Spiritual Darwinism' that our present age needs so desperately in order to counter what materialistic science has made of Darwin and his theory.
Briefly, the Great Knot of Time occurred in order to link the loop comprising the movement of the Vernal Equinox with a reverse movement that denotes the Autumnal Equinox. That is why we fall today in the fixed stars of this Fall movement. Thus, the original fact and observation of Precession, which was discovered and recorded by Hipparchus, c.125 BC, has evolved into a Grand Precession wherein the two loops have been joined. A great ribbon in the sky, with a knot in the middle. This knot was formed at the time the Renaissance began in 1413 AD. The goal is to give the necessary impulse for the development of the higher members of man's being, i.e., Manas, Buddhi, and Atman. This is what the concept of self-remembering is all about. As a result of this progress since the Renaissance, man must lead a double life. A double life necessary for the growth of both essence and personality.
In a process of backward regression, these earlier cultural periods appear up to the point that represents the apex of the Atlantean civlization, c. 11,547 BC. With the deluge, these cultural periods, i.e., Indian, Persian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek & Roman, form a line of descent that brought the earth to the midpoint of its mineral-physical existence. This midpoint occurred two thousand years ago. Actually, the ancients had a better grasp of the fact that the earth is only fifty thousand years old.
Conversely, it has been the task of modern science and scholarship to advance the age of the earth in such an exponential manner for purely materialistic/monetary purposes. As a result, we have an earth age of 1.85 billion years. The belief in a so-called 'flat earth' mentality is a puzzlement when one subscribes to the geometry of the sphere as the highest form of realization, with all angular representations being lower attributes, and the flat line being the bottom. By mentally tracing back to 11,547 BC, the apex of a sphere of representation is found; the 'golden age or Satya Yuga' of the Atlantean cycle of earth evolution. It represents the fourth of seven cycles. We are presently in the fifth cycle, which began with the Renaissance, c.1413 AD. Geometry and Arithmetic are safe here. Rather, the analogy should emphasize the question: Relative to the here and now of our daily lives, are we 2-dimensional, 3-dimensional, or 4-dimensional human beings? Is it possible to realize the four-dimensional frame of reference as a human being? If so, what would be the common variable? Could it possibly involve the speed of light as it traverses through the human psychophysical system? Is light, expressed in the form of electricity and its associated magnetic field, affected by such inherent factors as: heat, mass, density; all factors that inhibit the flow of light through the common axial neurons that compose the physical outer form? Has this inhibition of light transmission affected the flow of information, which physics calls entropy? My research indicates that it does. And, as a result, we have these outlandish facts relative to the universe, the various solar systems, and our own Solar System wherein the earth and moon are 4.6 billion years old. It comes down to the fact of entropy, which serves to restrict the flow of information in a system, and our need to overcome this restriction in our own system through effort; enlightened effort along the lines of what P. D. Ouspensky called, taking the Psychological Approach. This is the first step.
Thank you for your extensive contribution about our solar system, approximate age and evolution in general. It is great to get reminded, that we are right now in the 5th I think post Atlantean epoch and that it began in 1413 AD ?
Beautiful ! I also liked the picture of the 2 ribbons in the universe and how you tell us about the forming of the knot in our universe to mark the beginning of the new epoch.