We Are (Not) Special: Anthropocentrism and the Evolving Universe (Part 2), by John Halstead

Cosmic Evolution

As mentioned in Part 1, if we were to go back in time and reset the course of evolution, it is highly unlikely that we would be here the second time around. On the other hand, according to some theorists, it is highly likely — perhaps inevitable — that some form of tool-using, self-conscious species would evolve. (For example, self-consciousness might be a form of convergent evolution.) While many biologists emphasize the directionlessness of evolutionary history, many physicists are now identifying a developmental trend in cosmic history, one moving toward localizations of increasing order and complexity which operate against the general entropic trend of the universe. If this is true on the cosmic scale, it is arguably true on a biological scale as well.

Philosopher Ken Wilbur argues that, by portraying humankind as merely one strand in the web of life, deep ecology assumes a one-dimensional or…