In this ground-breaking book, Wynand de Beer utilizes insights
derived from Hellenic cosmology and bio-philosophy in a wide-ranging
discussion of the fundamental question of the origins and mechanisms of
organic diversity on our planet Earth. These insights include: the
numerical cosmology of Pythagoras and its extension into the organic
realm; the Logos of Heraclitus as cosmic lawgiver and
regulator; the role of the Demiurge in Plato’s cosmology; the fourfold
causal scheme of Aristotle; the Neoplatonic reason-principles (logoi)
indwelling the manifested order; and the hierarchical, all-embracing
Chain of Being linking the levels of cosmic reality—an essential element
in Greek Patristic and Latin Scholastic traditions. Building upon the
traditional concept of evolution as the unfolding of inherent
possibilities, de Beer also explores organic form and transformation,
emphasizing the mathematical foundations thereof.
The Neo-Darwinian theory of evolution is subjected to a wide range of
criticism on both philosophical and scientific grounds, without denying
the reality of organic evolution. A clear distinction is made between
two dimensions of evolution: micro-evolution and macro-evolution. The
author develops an alternative theory of macro-evolution, characterized
by regularity, direction, and convergence, incorporating nomogenesis
(evolution according to natural law) and orthogenesis (directed
evolution). In this way evidence from palaeontology and molecular
biology is accommodated, while fulfilling the metaphysical requirements
of formal and final causality.