| Sumario: | Evolution is frequently regarded as evidence of an atheistic–mechanistic worldview. Still, it implies that life, and thus also consciousness and knowledge, is a developmental phenomenon and inherently unfinished. Here, we define this condition as the mystical dimension of evolution and apply it to examine how three early evolutionary thinkers came to advocate a metaphysical view of evolution. Alfred Russel Wallace outlined an evolutionary cosmology centered on the emergence of human self-awareness. Ernst Haeckel advanced a monistic view of evolution in which matter and spirit are two sides of the same coin, and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin regarded consciousness as the unifying trajectory of an evolutionary process that encompasses the entire universe. The article then compares the mystical–evolutionary perspectives to contemporary evolutionary thought. Particular attention is given to the question of reality's inner aspect, the origin of consciousness, and the discussions surrounding the anthropic principle. We then address possible implications of evolutionary mysticism for deep ecology and environmentalism.
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