DAVID: It is hard for me to imagine that we have evolved beyond what existed before us. > > dhw: Then you have clearly missed the point of my analogy. Since you believe in evolution, you already agree that we have evolved immeasurably "beyond what existed before us" ... -I was referring to the issue of conscousness. Before us was inorganic dirt and consciousness. We evolved to consciousness, and as Tony has noted that evolution was a necessary method as he rightly views it.