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The meaning of life in a developing universe

Stewart, John E (2008) The meaning of life in a developing universe. [Conference Paper] (Unpublished)

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Abstract

The evolution of life on Earth has produced an organism that is beginning to model and understand its own evolution and the possible future evolution of life in the universe. These models and associated evidence show that evolution on Earth has a trajectory. The scale over which living processes are organized cooperatively has increased progressively, as has its evolvability. Recent theoretical advances raise the possibility that this trajectory is itself part of a wider developmental process. According to these theories, the developmental process has been shaped by a larger evolutionary process that involves the reproduction of universes. This evolutionary process has tuned the key parameters of the universe to increase the likelihood that life will emerge and develop to produce outcomes that are successful in the larger process (e.g. a key outcome may be to produce life and intelligence that intentionally reproduces the universe and tunes the parameters of ‘offspring’ universes). Theory suggests that when life emerges on a planet, it moves along this trajectory of its own accord. However, at a particular point evolution will continue to advance only if organisms emerge that decide to advance the evolutionary process intentionally. The organisms must be prepared to make this commitment even though the ultimate nature and destination of the process is uncertain, and may forever remain unknown. Organisms that complete this transition to intentional evolution will drive the further development of life and intelligence in the universe. Humanity’s increasing understanding of the evolution of life in the universe is rapidly bringing it to the threshold of this major evolutionary transition.

Item Type:Conference Paper
Additional Information:Papers presented at the conference on the Evolution and Development of the Universe that are accepted by the journal are to be published in a special issue of the journal Foundations of Science.
Keywords:conscious evolution; development of the universe; evolution of the universe; intentional evolution.
Subjects:Philosophy > Ethics
Biology > Theoretical Biology
Psychology > Developmental Psychology
Biology > Evolution
Psychology > Evolutionary Psychology
ID Code:6280
Deposited By: Stewart, John Edward
Deposited On:23 Nov 2008 12:05
Last Modified:11 Mar 2011 08:57

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