Soul of the Kingdom: Biological Process and the Structure of Consciousness

A new kingdom evolves every billion years or so. A kingdom is evolving now, within human consciousness. Organic molecules combine into the first kingdom - bacterial cells, which amalgamate into the second kingdom - complex cells, which colonize into the third kingdom - animals. The consciousness of each higher-level organism remains reducible to that of its parts, but takes on a wholeness over and above its parts. Individual cells experience photons, but the organism as a whole sees. The evolutionary process continues in the current era: cities evolve circulatory systems, electrical grids, and municipal plumbing. Television moves human consciousness from direct visual perception to the mediated experience of a pixel screen, while virtual reality programs create consciousness entirely distinct from physical reality. But mindless process is not adaptation. Civilization cannot face the hard realities of life on Earth without a spiritual realization of humanity in relation to the natural world. The kingdom will not live without its soul.