"On the spiritual theory, man consists essentially of a spiritual nature or mind intimately associated with a spiritual body or soul, both of which are developed in and by means of a material organism"
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Wallace presents a layered view of the human person: the core is spiritual, comprising mind and a subtle, enduring body often called the soul, and this core matures through its embodiment in flesh. The material organism is not the source of consciousness but the instrument and environment through which spiritual capacities are awakened, exercised, and refined. The brain does not manufacture mind; it transmits, shapes, and limits it, much as a violin renders music without creating it.
This stance arose from Wallace’s distinctive journey. As the co-discoverer of natural selection, he accepted evolution but grew convinced that strict materialism could not account for the full range of human faculties. Abstract reasoning, mathematical insight, moral conscience, and aesthetic appreciation seemed to him to exceed the demands of survival. He embraced spiritualism, investigated psychical phenomena, and argued that evidence pointed to realities beyond the reach of physiology alone. Hence the contrast he drew between a material theory, where mind is a byproduct of brain, and a spiritual theory, where the brain is a tool for a preexisting spiritual nature.
The phrase “developed in and by means of a material organism” is crucial. It affirms evolution and embodied life as necessary stages in spiritual growth while denying that biology exhausts what we are. Embodiment provides sensory data, social bonds, struggle, and learning, all of which cultivate the capacities of mind and soul. It also implies survival: if the spiritual body and mind are intimately associated yet not identical with the earthly body, they can persist when the latter dissolves.
Wallace’s view threads a path between Victorian scientism and religious dogma. He sought continuity with science by honoring evolutionary development, yet introduced purpose and teleology by positing directive mind at the heart of human nature. For him, humanity’s uniqueness lies not in escaping nature, but in using nature to become fully spiritual.
This stance arose from Wallace’s distinctive journey. As the co-discoverer of natural selection, he accepted evolution but grew convinced that strict materialism could not account for the full range of human faculties. Abstract reasoning, mathematical insight, moral conscience, and aesthetic appreciation seemed to him to exceed the demands of survival. He embraced spiritualism, investigated psychical phenomena, and argued that evidence pointed to realities beyond the reach of physiology alone. Hence the contrast he drew between a material theory, where mind is a byproduct of brain, and a spiritual theory, where the brain is a tool for a preexisting spiritual nature.
The phrase “developed in and by means of a material organism” is crucial. It affirms evolution and embodied life as necessary stages in spiritual growth while denying that biology exhausts what we are. Embodiment provides sensory data, social bonds, struggle, and learning, all of which cultivate the capacities of mind and soul. It also implies survival: if the spiritual body and mind are intimately associated yet not identical with the earthly body, they can persist when the latter dissolves.
Wallace’s view threads a path between Victorian scientism and religious dogma. He sought continuity with science by honoring evolutionary development, yet introduced purpose and teleology by positing directive mind at the heart of human nature. For him, humanity’s uniqueness lies not in escaping nature, but in using nature to become fully spiritual.
Quote Details
| Topic | Faith |
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