The story of the expedition Life undertook from its origin as a single-celled organism to our species’ current iteration can be segmented into “chapters” of increasingly complex engagement with the spatial/temporal dimensions.
This exploration occurred incrementally one dimension at a time – our ancestors did not magically appear fully utilizing four-dimensional space-time but rather clawed their way first into persistence in Time, and then entering into first one spatial dimension, and then sequentially more complex combinations of the spatial dimensions as they advanced along their evolutionary path. We have so far mastered four dimensions – three spatial and one temporal. Given that 95% of our surroundings are currently opaque (Dark Matter and Energy) suggests that Life’s expedition into increasingly dimensionally complex possibilities continues. The Scientific Revolution can be regarded as Life’s ongoing creative drive poking at the boundaries of four-dimensional space-time for additional nooks or crannies within which to evolve.
The delineations discussed below, establishing correlations between foundational evolutionary transitions and dimensional descriptions, are not absolute (the transitions unfolded over millions of years), and are presented through the specific lens of the evolution of our species. These correlations are obscure when the evolution of life in total is studied, which is far beyond the scope of these models. However, what is of special interest to us is the question of how we got here, which can be elucidated by examining the path our ancestors followed from our species origin as a single-celled organism. All other creatures have their individual stories, but as our story illuminates our origins and the changes we undertook, it clarifies the advantages and limitations of the way in which our faculties interact with our surroundings. Shedding light here facilitates the enhanced expression of our potentials, as well as proferring suggestions for us in our role as stewards of the planet upon which our evolution unfolded. How we regard our origination, and how that understanding can inform how we manage our impulsive native cognition, influence decisions we are now making that determine whether we ultimately manage our planet as an inescapable prison or a sustainable playground.
POINT DIMENSION AND ALL LIVING THINGS
The evolutionary journey of living things in our lineage begins with the Point Dimension where Life exists needing no information beyond its boundary, and no use for observing the passage of time – it simply IS. Almost all of the biomass on Earth gets by just fine operating solely in this primary dimension. The key attribute of Point Dimension Life is that it does not utilize the spatial dimensions in any specialized manner, but it does persist through time. Persisting through time is the profound accomplishment of Living Things, and by focusing attention on this achievement one peers at the great mystery of the continuity of life.
More discussion on Living Things:
LINE DIMENSION – ANIMALS AND VERTEBRATES
For 6/7ths of the time life has flourished on Earth, the Point Dimension was enough. However, relatively recently, Life forms in our lineage discovered utility in being able to move around. Life’s initial explorations were movement forward and backward along a line, which initiated the process of opening up access to the spatial dimensions and demarcates the emergence of Animals. Initially, this movement was extension and contraction as seen in Worms and Jellies but soon evolved into more complex linear movements.
More discussion on creatures who can move:
As movement increased in complexity, creatures began to utilize the passage of time to refine their predictions of the outcome of their tactics about where to go, and why to go there. The formulation of intention for these movements originated from visual cues. Body plans became dominated by efficient mechanisms of locomotion, and once Animals crawled onto land, dealing with managing their mass (the gravitational vector).
More discussion on creatures who can move intentionally (predictive use of time):
PLANE DIMENSION AND MAMMALS
As Vertebrates mastered the Line Dimension, some discovered a competitive advantage by enhancing their use of the surrounding area of the Horizontal Plane. Adaptations in physiology, such as auditory tracking, flexion of the spine and strategic planning, facilitated mastery over animals limited to processing tactically what was happening within their line of sight, or from vibrations felt in their bodies. Adaptations in neurology enabled tracking complex assemblages of information, based on the place that information originated (place memory cells), as well as the ability to make rudimentary new connections between bits of information. Cognition based on socially-based training and experience (infant development) superseded genetically hard-wired cognition, which expresses as decision making guided by emotion in addition to instinct.
More discussion on creatures who mastered the horizontal plane:
VOLUME DIMENSION AND PRIMATES
Some Mammals adapted to the forest canopy by modifying their front legs to grasp branches (the emergence of the opposable thumb), launching these mammals down a path of vastly extended cognitive abilities as they embodied movement and eventually tool use in 3 spatial dimensions. This path eventually led to bipedal gait, a Built Environment, and our direct ancestors.
More discussion on our tree-dwelling ancestors here:
N.B: The evolution of all creatures has been a linear progression. The transitions bridging the Dimensional Paradigms described above are obscured, with one paradigm overlapping both structurally and functionally to the next. There is, therefore, no distinct instant at which one can say, for example, that mammalian physiology transitioned to the vertebrate physiology from which it originated, only that Mammals were present at an identifiable point in time. However, each of the Dimensional Paradigms contains a unique set of distinguishing attributes which extend the attributes of the underlying paradigm, giving the Dimensional Mastery Model a solid footing for making inferences about our evolutionary progression, and the structural and functional capabilities interwoven within each of the Dimensional Paradigms.
OTHER MODELS PRESENTED HERE:
THE FOUR CORES
Examining the Dimensional Paradigms from a physiological perspective reveals four distinct “Cores” that are both unique to our lineage and yet provide a direct line from us to the root of All Living Things. Analyzing human structure and function from the vantage point of these cores facilitates clarity of comprehension of their unique roles and more effective physical therapeutic interventions.
ARCHETYPES
Examining the Dimensional Paradigms from an energetic perspective reveals Archetypal frameworks. These frameworks constrain evolution as categorically as the physical dimensions but are not physical. Archetypes are the intrinsic guide-rails of the evolution of our lineage and, like the spatial dimensions, exist regardless of whether Living Things had invoked them.