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Physics, Earth & Space Icon Physics, Earth & Space

What Can We Infer About the Source of Life?

Photo: Earth as seen from the Moon, by NASA.

There is a distinction as well as a connection between that which is made and that which made it. Understanding this can give us insight into what we can’t observe directly. The relationship between effect and cause is evident even at the most fundamental level. Elementary particles, according to physicists, were formed out of energetic photons in the instants after the Big Bang. The resultant particles are distinct from the prior conditions leading to their formation, but derivable from those conditions. 

Going a step further in the development of the universe, the primeval mix of simple nuclei consisting of about 75 percent hydrogen and 25 percent helium, formed out of protons and neutrons in the intense heat and high density of the nascent universe, relying upon the prior existence of these elementary particles and the strong and weak forces. Several hundred thousand years of expansion and cooling of space set the stage for the electromagnetic force to combine simple nuclei and electrons into neutral atoms. Journeying further through time, the gravitational force acted as the prior necessity for the formation of galaxies, stars, and eventually planets. 

A Transient Time Frame

Not only is that which is formed dependent upon what precedes it, the time frame to allow formation is often transient. The proper confluence of conditions necessary for each stage of formative activity lasts only a finite time in the history of the universe. Elementary particle formation ended after only about 1 millisecond; the period for the generation of simple nuclei ended after just a few minutes; the recombination period with the formation of neutral atoms of helium and hydrogen occurred around 380,000 years after the beginning; galaxy and star formation primarily took place between 200 million and 1 billion million years after the birth of the universe. Although stars have been forming ever since then, conditions leading to the formation of the vast majority of stars have already passed. All of these events are predictable from the physical conditions that caused them.

In the era subsequent to the formation of our solar system, our universe would never have seen the birth of anything much different from what had already been formed without the introduction of a new causative agency. The fundamental forces of nature, primarily gravity, the strong nuclear force, and the electromagnetic force, nominally act by exerting a push or a pull on particles of matter. These forces are indiscriminate with regard to the outcome of their actions, and most of what they could accomplish can be predicted based on our understanding of the interactions between forces and matter.

The science of cosmology, unraveling the history and development of the physical universe, shows scientists a gratifying congruence between predictable science and observable outcomes. Given the observable initial conditions of the universe, scientists could successfully predict the development of the universe into the cosmos we observe, filled with galaxies, stars, and planets. The general principle underlying this success is that what is made is derivable from what makes it.

From the perspective of humans, the universe became enormously more interesting when the first living thing was formed. With the advent of a single-cell organism, composed of thousands of complex molecules interacting in a functional manner, we encounter something that for the first time in the history of the universe could not have been remotely predicted based on knowledge of antecedent conditions. 

Life Breaks the Trend

Stay with me here. The existence of life necessitates something that made it, something from which life is derivable. But the organization and functional complexity of living organisms is completely beyond the possible formative action of any combination of the fundamental forces of nature. In this sense, life is unnatural.

If life is not derivable from natural forces within this universe, then the very existence of life points to a source of life outside our universe. We realize that life gives birth to life, but this process can only trace back to the first form of life. Conditions within the early history of the universe unequivocally precluded the existence of physical life of any kind. Our universe must have been touched by a source of life that brought about the formation of the living creatures that appeared on Earth throughout its history.

If what is made is truly derivable from what made it, then the characteristics of living things ought to some degree to be able to inform us of the attributes of a source of life transcendent to our universe. Even at the simplest level, the biochemical complexity of life is ingenious: the source must possess an even greater level of ingenuity. Another broad observation of life on Earth is its incredible diversity, leading to the conclusion that the source of life must have a profound propensity for creativity. Across time and culture, people have admired the beauty of living things, indicating that their author is an artist delighting to express beauty in the things that are made. 

Consciousness has been recognized as inherent in even the simplest life and it is of course a defining characteristic of advanced life. It would be reasonable to assume that the consciousness of living creatures is derivable from the higher consciousness of life’s source. What is made cannot be greater than what made it. Natural forces are dull, boring, and predictable, and although this might also be descriptive of some physicists, the vibrant characteristics of living organisms point to an unexplainable distinction between natural forces and life.

A Familial Relationship

More advanced living things, especially humans, seem to exhibit an individual will and the freedom to make choices, reflecting in this way the nature of their creator as a personal being. We also see and experience the importance of loving relationships as indispensable for our well-being. The one from whom our existence is derived must therefore also love and be the source of love.

If I may, I would submit that a familial relationship exists between the author of life and what has been made. In bringing forth creatures whose essence allows them to freely respond to their maker, we find the fulfilment of what is highest and best in a parent-child relationship.  Further, as parents delegate to their children tasks and responsibilities commensurate with their abilities, it appears that our maker has given us the opportunity and responsibility to explore, discover, and create within the confines of this universe as a beneficial part of our development.