EDWARD OAKES

Biologists tell us that photosynthesis, which arose in bacteria in the early days of life on Earth and then evolved a separate time in plant life, happened or evolved due to the presence and ubiquity of light. Separately but analogously vision evolved in animals on several occasions due to the ubiquity of light in the universe and on Earth. Separately but analogously wings evolved on animals on several occasions due to the presence and ubiquity of an atmosphere on the earth........And so on........And one can extend this line of thought to the evolution of the human brain.........the brain has evolved through many millions of years that have passed on Earth due to, or against the backdrop of the presence of a "mental air" in the universe. In other words the brain, with its access to mathematical truth and sense of harmony on occasion and sense of beauty on occasion and its access to other kinds of eternal truth has evolved against the pressure or presence of "mental air". Mental air is equated to the quintessence or 5th element in Plato's "Cosmogony" I believe. These ideas on "mental air" are called a "Theory of Darwinian Platonism" and have been originally described by the philosopher and theologian Edward Oakes. Oakes is a Catholic........he is a member of the Jesuit order.