LIFE BORN OF "NON-MATTER", NOT BY CHANCE. (MIND POWER - 2)

(Excerpts from book: MIND POWER (1980) CHAPTER 7, Author - Swami Vijnananand (S.V.), Manashakti publication)

 7.  Life on Earth.

7.3              The chemical scene.(Please see earlier Blog 29 on the subject)

Through the passage of time, chemical evolution progressed and so also the conditions originating life. The book “cell” by Prof. Swanson page 265 gives this in a nice way.

The development of biological elements from primary elements demands so many answers to so many questions.

First of all: - What was exact change after life was borne and was it essentially different from matter?

7.4. Concluding land marks, Life born of “non-matter”, not by “Chance”

At first we found carbon scattered in the form of separate atoms, in the red hot stellar (of a star or stars) atmospheres. We then found it as component of hydrocarbons which appeared on the surface of the earth. With time these hydrocarbons were transformed into their oxygen and nitrogenous derivatives in to the simplest organic substances. In the water of primitive oceans, these substances formed more complex compounds. Proteins and similar substances appeared. Thus the materials of which bodies of animals and plants are formed came in to being. At first these materials existed in a dissolved state.

Coaservate drops:-The forebears of life on the earth.

Then it began to separate from its environment in the form of coacervate drops. The first coaservate drops were of simple structure, but gradually substantial changes took place in their structure. They acquired more and more complex structure and improved structure. They were finally transformed in to primary living beings…………The forebears of all life on the earth.

Life continued to develop. The first living beings were not cellular. But at a definite stage of life’s development the cell appeared. Unicellular and then multi cellular organisms established themselves on our planet.

The development link was as follows:

Carbon atoms ------ hydrocarbons -------- oxygen/nitrogen derivatives, simple organic substances --------- (water from ocean) ------- complex organic compounds ------ coaservate drops ------- primary living being. (Non-cellular)

7.5 Chances and the chemical view of life.

Life by chance seems impossible. Whether cell or virus, their chemical composition is much similar. Cell biology tells us that even in a single organism there are hardly any perceptible differences in the cell. The differentiation in purpose is vast and varied. Book “The Cell” on page 225 tells:-

Because of the exact replication and segregation of the DNA during cell production, all the cells in multi cellular organism contain the same type of and amount of nuclear information. Since nucleus is the control center of the cell, all cells should have the same potential and be capable of manufacturing all the proteins of the body…….The obvious fact, however is that they do not do so for a large number of reasons discussed in this book. This looks to be beyond probability.

To substantiate this, following references may be seen.

Dr Singh and Dr Thompson record on page 28 of “What is matter and what is life” that a “chance” could not have created life even once in thousand billion years.

“Consciousness and laws of Nature” page 62, and “Theories of probability” page 248, mentions:

There is need of new perspective. As many difficulties are encountered in attempts to understand and apply present days theories of probability. Conceivably, Probability is not possible.

A careful sifting of our intuitive expectation and requirement for the theory of probability might reveal that they are unfulfilled or logically in-consistent.

(If we carefully and minutely check across (a) our intuitive expectation and (b) requirement for the theory of probability, it may reveal that they (i.e. requirements) cannot be fulfilled and logically they are not consistent).

It is told that if a single cell of an infant is (assumed to be) manufactured in one minute, a skilled worker will take five thousand years to repeat it. The infant body contains billions of cells. Thus billions of cells multiplied by these five thousand years will project the mathematical picture of the efforts required (by Nature) to complete the task of formation of the infant body.

A quoted reference tells us how nitrogen struck the atom of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and sulfur to produce first living substances. Very few proteins could be living out of their combination. For example, these five elements (N2, O2, C, H2, &S) rearranged in different way, can produce silk, wood and innumerable other articles.

That a life producing arrangement (such as huge systematic work requiring unimaginably highest amount of power) was born by chance, is incomprehensible to think. Such a chance if it occurs would require timeless number of years. By that time, the Universe may run out of its course.

7.6 “Purposeful” developments of single and multi-minds

Birth of a life was not by chance, but it was by definite “purpose”. How so ever the wisdom of that purpose may be questioned. In other words, the decision of “non-matter” (mind) to attach itself to matter may not be very wise, but this happening is at the instance of non-matter, (as matter can’t have a desire).

There are only three alternatives:-

                        A   God created first life.       

                        B    Chance created first life.

                        C    Non-matter attached itself to the matter.

A and B have been ruled out in the book.

 

C  Non-matter (normally called “mind”) attached itself to the matter. ---This is discussed further. We will see later that each cell has mind and a multi cellular organism has “organized mind”.

Mechanical view of Life

As a preliminary link up, we quote “Origin of life” pages 65 to 67, Russian scientist has attacked pure mechanical view. The reference says:-

1. The mistake of the mechanistic approach was that they did not differentiate between the organization of protoplasm (a colorless substance like jelly from which all animals and plants are formed.) and its structure. This was due to their hard efforts to consider the living organism in the form of material motion which is characteristic of a machine. (Not living body), i.e. they reduced this organism merely to the spatial (relating to space as a physical dimension) arrangement of the individual parts. This off-course is a one sided view, since organization must be regarded not only in point of space but also in point of time. Thus, for example we call meeting “organized” not only because its participants have seated themselves in an orderly manner but also because the speakers have kept within time limit and the reports and speeches have followed the agenda.

2. Depending upon the character of a given system either its organization in point of space or its organization in point of time comes to the fore front. In the case of machine spatial organization is most important. But we know many systems in which organization in point of time is most important.

An example of such a system is any piece of music. A symphony (long musical composition) for instance. The latter in very existence is determined by the fact that the hundreds or thousands of sounds which make it up are combined with strict regard for time. Any disruption of its harmonious unity would destroy the symphony and would lead to disharmony and chaos.

3. Structure, a definite intricate (many small parts put together in a complex way) make up is an essential element in the organization of protoplasm. However, organization in point of time, definite harmony of the process which takes place in protoplasm, is by far more important. Any organism—plant, vegetable or microbe—lives only while it continues to receive and discharge a stream of new particles of substance and of the energy which goes with it.

The organization receives from its environment diverse chemical compounds.

Inside the organism, they are subjected to various changes and transformations, as a result of which, they become the substances of the organism proper, and acquire the properties of those chemical compounds of which the living creature had previously been composed. This is known as the process of assimilation. But simultaneously with assimilation a reverse process takes place—that of dissimilation. The substances of living organism do not remain unchanged, but are decomposed more or less swiftly, and their space is taken by newly assimilated compounds, while products of decomposition are discharged in to the environment.

The simile continues…………..

Concentrate on the simile in the second stage. Symphony presupposes different musicians organized by a composer. Just above another simile of meeting mentioned, the word “organized”, insistence on the ‘time’ is not important, but what is important here is “organizer” without which organization cannot come in to being or function.

‘Earth’s primitive oceans did not possess a rational structure that fitness of its internal organization for the performance of definite living functions in the given conditions of existence which is so characteristic of the protoplasm. Thus the internal structure of the primitive ocean was adapting itself for the creation of life. This adaptation to the condition of environment could not stem merely from physical or chemical laws or from collide-chemical relations’.

Emergence of Biological laws

New laws, namely, biological laws, had to arise in the process of material evolution simultaneously with the inception of living things.

Limitations of the laws of matter

The early history of life cannot be accounted for, by laws of physics or chemistry. Somewhere laws of physics lack tenor. (Settled direction) and therefore laws of non-physics or ‘non-matter’ (i.e. mind) step in.

One or more minds in the same body

Banking on the statement cited above, the singular consideration of ‘space’ is inadequate. Non-matter occupies no space therefore there is no harm in considering one or more minds in the material frame, as required respectively in cellular or multi-cellular organisms.

Summary:

-          Birth of a life was not by chance, but it was by definite “purpose”. How so ever the wisdom of that purpose may be questioned. In other words, the decision of “non-matter” (mind) to attach itself to matter may not be very wise, but this happening is at the instance of non-matter, (as matter can’t have a desire).

-          The internal structure of the primitive ocean was adapting itself for the creation of life. This adaptation to the condition of environment could not stem merely from physical or chemical laws or from collide-chemical relations.

-          The early history of life cannot be accounted for, by laws of physics or chemistry. Somewhere laws of physics lack tenor. (Settled direction) and therefore laws of non-physics or ‘non-matter’ (i.e. mind) step in.

-          Non-matter occupies no space therefore there is no harm in considering one or more minds in the material frame, as required respectively in cellular or multi-cellular organisms.

(Note: This is an attempt to make reader friendly interpretation of the book “MIND POWER” based on my perception. Inquisitive readers are requested to refer to the original book to cross check their understanding.)

Vijay R. Joshi.