Saturday, September 14, 2019

In “evolutionary conservatism” retaining the best that is evolved is no less important than ongoing evolution


Josef Pieper used the term “fashion poetry” in contrast to more timeless poetry. The term could be applied to fashion politics, fashion art, or even fashion philosophy---the modern term pop psychology is fashion psychology.

But before I get too smug about the shallowness of fashion when there should be timelessness, tradition can go too far in the other direction becoming static or fixed in one moldy place.

The term “evolution” indicatives both change and stability. In natural evolution the best of the past in retained without ruling out natural changes discovered by evolution to be worthy of change. So I prefer the term “evolutionary conservatism” even though it sounds incongruous and self-contradictory, like “make haste slowly.”

Tradition” does not give enough attention to change mainly because it sees a timeless non-material Godhood as its highest value. But when we see ascending levels of Godhood reached only through material evolution then change or evolution becomes sacred, and retaining the best that is evolved is no less important than ongoing evolution. If Godhood finally evolves to a supermaterial timeless eternity then that is for Godhood to enjoy, meanwhile life in the cosmos must get on with the instinctive and sacred process of evolving toward Godhood within the ups and downs of natural selection---and modern science we may be able to help it along its way.

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