We have inherited from our forefathers the keen longing for unified, all-embracing knowledge. The very name given to the highest institutions of learning reminds us, that from antiquity and throughout many centuries the universal aspect has been the only one to be given full credit. But the spread, both in width and depth, of the multifarious branches of knowledge during the last hundred odd years has confronted us with a clear dilemma. We feel clearly that we are only now beginning to acquire reliable material for welding together the sum total of all that is known into a whole; but, on the other hand, it has become next too impossible for a single mind fully to command more than a small specialized portion of it. I can see no other escape from this dilemma (lest our true aim be lost forever) than that some of us should venture to embark on a synthesis of facts and theories, albeit with second-hand and incomplete knowledge of some of them--and at the risk of making fools of ourselves.        -- Erwin Schrodinger

With so many books written on the subject of evolution already in circulation, why are so many more being published periodically? I believe it is primarily because, as our body of knowledge increases previous notions on most every subject are generally challenged and evolution is no exception. Therefore, there may be times when we may need to address new questions with new answers.

My desire to understand what-is-going-on in the universe, and more realistically, here on earth, drew me to the sciences, the most likely place to find ‘answers.’ Knowing full well that answers may prove to be ephemeral, the best one could do is to constantly update ones views so that they are in accord with the most recent discoveries and modifications of our body of knowledge. In short, I felt that I must never allow myself to become complacent, nor less vigilant in keeping abreast of changes in thinking. In the advent of new discoveries that would contradict old ways of thinking, I knew I should adapt accordingly. However, even as I write, I believe that my notions are already being challenged by a new generation. Yet I realize that, until I become aware of new thoughts, I must still be able to function with the knowledge of the times. Among other things, this means that I must continue to interact with my fellow humans in accordance with my present limits of knowing even if the future makes the present short-lived.

My favorite subject has always been Evolution, primarily in the area of complexity. I wanted to know how and why the composition of atomic molecules, and chemical compounds, eventually led to living forms. Also, I wanted to know whether Homo sapiens, as a consequence of evolution, have increased in complexity from the time of their emergence to the present. At the same time, my philosophical thoughts were constantly straying onto another topic: how does our knowledge about evolution affect our lives? What can we learn from studying the evolution of complexity that would be beneficial to humankind? To put it more bluntly, what is the bottom line? Would my pursuits eventually lead to some unknown process associated with the evolution of complexity that may give us a clue to the future? I admit that I may have been a bit overly ambitious in those endeavors, and "at the risk of making a fool of myself," I humbly submit this book as a possible response to the above questions.