HUMAN DESTINY AND EVOLUTION 



as far as the development of life, except where the en- 

 vironment is right. However, considering the exceed- 

 ingly large number of stars in the universe, a consider- 

 able number of which may have planetary systems, life, 

 although a comparative cosmic rarity, may yet have 

 arisen in an appreciable number of localities. 



The process of this development of matter has been 

 the following: "Complexification," integration of the 

 increasingly complex units into a new entity; further 

 complexification of the new entity leading to a new 

 integration on a higher level, and so forth. At a certain 

 complexity level of this development life makes its 

 gradual appearance, evolving further along the lines 

 of the established pattern. It is the successful solution 

 of the problem of preservation of its high extropy level, 

 which imparts to matter that has reached this certain 

 level of complexity, the characteristics of living matter. 

 The struggle of life to maintain its precariously high 

 level of orderliness, is commonly termed the struggle 

 for survival. In all the more complex forms of life, 

 survival of the species can only be assured by means of 

 an exceedingly complex reproductive process. By 

 means of this process the species overcomes the ulti- 

 mate effect of the Second Law. The individual, how- 

 ever, cannot be preserved indefinitely, but must always 

 suffer death. For the species as a whole there occurs 

 the constant trial and error process of mutation by 

 means of which survival in changing environment is 



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