Essence of Evolution

Essence of Evolution

"Evolution is, without doubt, the most profound idea ever imagined by the human mind. Even more astounding is the amount of evidence grounding it in reality. Genetic analysis and the fossil record are incontrovertible: all life on earth shares a common origin. What began as a single cell in the shallow seas of an archaic earth has since transformed over several billion years into the complex variety of species currently calling this planet home. But evolution is an idea whose implications extend far beyond the surface of earth: to truly begin to grasp its significance, we must view evolution in its cosmic context. Our universe is itself a 13.7 billion year process of creative emergence, from sub-atomic particles, to hydrogen, to stars and galaxies, and eventually to solar systems like ours with rocky planets suitable for life. So not only all living beings on earth, but all matter in this universe shares a single point of origin in a moment of unimaginable creativity known as the 'big bang.' Ours is more a cosmogenesis than a static cosmos. The tired conflict between science and religion must come to an end with both sides standing in awe of the evolutionary process of creation we human beings have woken up amidst. The most pressing question now becomes: 'how can we participate?'"