Abstract
The lecture aims to introduce the listeners to a peculiar figure of Czechoslovak philosophy, prof. Josef Velenovsky (1858-1949) and the no less peculiar ideas he puts forward in the first volume of his main philosophical work Natural Philosophy (Prirodni filosofie) published in 1920.
The main focus of the lecture is the chapter "Organic Evolution" in which Velenovsky argues that evolution cannot be sufficiently explained in mechanistic terms and that it therefore must be driven by some non-physical force. Velenovsky names this force the cosmic spirit and attributes to it the ability to teleologically lead inorganic matter towards progressively higher levels of complexity and individuality, eventually giving rise to life in the form of plants, fungi, animals, and humans.
The creation of intelligent minds is the ultimate goal of all evolution, according to Velenovsky, no matter at which point in the cosmos it begins - Velenovsky is adamant in saying that "it is beyond any doubt" that life exists on many other planets in space, judging from the immense number of stars and planets we observe and the resulting high probability of a planet with Earth-like conditions occurring. Since evolution in every point in space is bound to be led by the same "latent ideas" contained in the all-encompassing cosmic spirit, Velenovsky claims that alien life forms cannot attain any different shapes than the ones we know from Earth - they must be plants, fungi, animals, and humans, too.
Evolution is thus a cosmic phenomenon.