CREATION BY EVOLUTION 



molecules, crystals, organisms — stand in an ascending order 

 of status from lower to higher. Molecules have a higher 

 status than atoms; crystals have a higher status than mole- 

 cules; organisms have a higher status than anything 

 inorganic. 



Suppose, next, that we are dealing with a group of organ- 

 isms, let us say plants. As we have seen, they may be 

 arranged in an ascending order according to status. But 

 in the course of individual development from the seed 

 onward there is, for instance in the oak, a passage of state 

 from the less complex acorn to the much more complex 

 oak tree. And in the course of racial development, accord- 

 ing to the doctrine of descent, there has been, in times long 

 past, a passage of status from less complex species of plants 

 to more complex species. 



Now this kind of development in the individual and evolu- 

 tion in the race is not found in atoms, or molecules, or 

 crystals. It is not found till the level of living creatures has 

 been reached in the progressive advance of nature. It intro- 

 duces something quite new and distinctive — what we call 

 life — which, in technical phrase, ''differentiates" organic 

 from inorganic evolution. This makes a difference in the 

 course of events. To indicate other differences the adjec- 

 tives atomic, molecular, chemical, mental, and so on are 

 used. But the noun "evolution" is here invariably used to 

 mark something which is common to all of them. 



After what has thus been said — and necessarily said very 

 briefly — ^we are now, I think, in a position to state what 

 is common to all of them. Laying stress on passage of 

 states and of status, we can g\N^ a pretty clear meaning to 

 unrestricted evolution. It means upward passage from lower 

 to higher, no matter what particular form this passage may 

 assume in this or that kind of progress. The emphasis 



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