When we observe the natural world we can distinguish the existence of
mineral, plant and animal kingdoms which are further classified into
specific subgroups – phylum, class, order, family, genus, species – because
they exhibit different characteristics. [1] But
there is one very striking borderline between that which we regard as
non-living and living: on one side is the inorganic realm of
the mineral kingdom and on the other the organic
realm of plants and animals, including human beings. But when we try to
comprehend the difference between inorganic and organic substances, we
encounter some difficulties. With the aim to understand the essential
difference between these two kinds of substances we will deal with this
issue first from the perspective of natural science and then from the
perspective of spiritual science.
BLURRED DIFFERENTIATION OF MODERN SCIENCE
When one tries to figure out what is the scientific distinction between organic and inorganic substances, then one can encounter
confusing and obscuring classifications, with the end result of a blurred
borderline between living and non-living forms of existence. For example,
even in the case of minerals – where one would expect logic and clarity –
one can encounter the following definition of mineral:
“A mineral is an element or
chemical compound that is normally
crystalline and that has been formed as a result of geological processes.” To this group do not belong
“chemical compounds produced entirely by
biological processes without a geological component (e.g. urinary calculi,
oxalate crystals in plant tissues, shells of marine molluscs, etc).
However, if geological processes were involved in the genesis of the
compound, then the product can be accepted as a mineral.” [2]
This means that according to this definition the shell found on the beach is
not mineral; in the case that we find a fossil containing a shell, then it
is counted as mineral.
In another classification
of minerals based upon their chemical composition we can find
beside inorganic compounds also the class of organic compounds,
including the subclass of organic minerals – that is, minerals of
biological origin such as amber and urea. [3] The
naming itself is contradictory; more suitable naming would be ‘minerals
of organic origins ‘. Nevertheless, the existence of this subclass proves
that minerals can originate from the living organisms.
In another branch of science, in organic chemistry, we encounter the
following definition: “Organic chemistry is the scientific study
of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation
(by synthesis or by other means) of carbon-based compounds,
hydrocarbons, and their derivatives.” [4]
According to this approach all substances which are based on carbon frameworks are organic, including
petrochemicals, such as drugs, adhesives, plastic, paints,
agrochemicals, etc. The original meaning of the word ‘organic ‘ is “of, pertaining to, or derived from living organism” or
“having
properties associated with living organisms.” [5]
This means that modern scientists have managed to change coal
and plastic into something which belongs to the realm of life – not by
some magic, but by the means of arbitrary definition!
In the list of organic compounds we can also find urea. Now, if you
compare urea with table salt in the picture you will notice that the
only difference between the salt, which is classified as an inorganic
substance, and the urea, which is classified as an organic substance, is
in their outer shape of crystals. Otherwise both are white mineral
substances! The argument for distinction is that urea is produced by
living organisms. Yes, it is true, but urea is mineral by all other
characteristics; this is confirmed also by the classification of urea
among ‘organic minerals ‘. It is without dispute that inside living
organisms there are also inorganic mineral substances, but this fact
does not change them into organic ones.
The closest to the real meaning of the word ‘organic ‘ is the
definition of organic matter as “matter composed of organic compounds
that has come from the remains of once-living organisms such as plants
and animals and their waste products in the environment. All living
organisms are composed of organic compounds. In life they secrete or
excrete organic materials such as
faeces into soils, shed body parts
such as leaves and roots and after the organism dies, its body begins to
decompose, broken down by bacterial and fungal action.” [6]
The other example where the scientific classification comes close to
the facts of life is the group of biomolecules (or
biological molecules). Investigation of these molecules is a major field
of organic chemistry. Their main characteristic is that they are large
and complex. Here we find true organic molecules: proteins,
carbohydrates and fats. [7] But even here a person
without a scientific background can easily be confused because of the
complicated and contradictory ways they are classified and named in
different resources.
The main characteristic of the above presented short overview of
various classifications of substances in the diverse branches of natural
science is the lack of consistency based upon arbitrary definitions.
Such a situation is causing an unclear and blurred distinction between
what is living and what not. For example, in a popular book for medical
students six levels of structural organisation are described: the human
being, system level (e.g. nervous system, etc), organ level, tissue
level, cellular level, and chemical level. [8] Chemical level is further
divided into molecules and atoms.
What is the most striking about this classification is that there is
no clear border between the inorganic and organic realm of existence. Of
course, the upper structural layers, from body to cells, are evidently
organic. And atoms or chemical elements are evidently inorganic. But in
the molecules group – which is in between – there is no differentiation
between simple inorganic molecules such as water, carbon dioxide,
calcium carbonate, etc., and complex biological molecules, such as
starches, fats, and proteins. This approach obscures the borderline
between living organic and lifeless inorganic substances which can be
found on the level of molecules.
CLEAR DIFFERENTIATION OF SPIRITUAL SCIENCE
According to spiritual science there is a crucial difference between the
mineral kingdom and the kingdoms of plants and animals. In the mineral kingdom
we have dead mineral substances. Of course, they are not completely ‘dead ‘, for
they react chemically between themselves when they are in specific conditions. [9]
But the basic building elements of “life are cells, arrangements of cells,
many-celled organisms, communities of organisms, and ecosystems of communities” [10]
and not inorganic matter ruled by physical and chemical laws.
There is an evident difference between minerals and living organisms:
organisms grow, reproduce and die. What is the reason for this
difference? Stone as a sample of the inorganic realm consists of the
physical body alone. But the living organisms consist of
physical body
and life body (etheric body) combined. These two bodies interpenetrate each other.
While the physical body is perceptible to us directly, we can perceive
the life body only indirectly through its effects on the organism. For
example, the ability of a plant or an animal to grow and reproduce
itself is due to the existence of the etheric body. Furthermore, if we
compare a stone with a piece of flesh we can observe that after some
time that flesh will start to decay, while stone – if not worked upon by
outer influences – can keep its shape for millennia. Flesh as an example
of organic substance decays because the life body of animal has departed
from it after an animal has been killed. In a piece of flesh we still
have some etheric forces due to the presence of organic substances, such
as proteins and fats, but even these start to decay if meat is not
stored or preserved properly. Thus the presence of the life body
preserves and maintains the living organisms.
Another characteristic of the life body is evident if we observe the
plant kingdom. Plants take in inorganic substances such as carbon
dioxide, water, and minerals, and – in the process of
photosynthesis and
further processes of plant chemistry – create carbohydrates, fats and
proteins. We can see that the simplest plant is capable of something
which all the scientists of the world with all their technology cannot
make [11]:
the creation of living organic substances out
of the inorganic elements with the help of sunlight and warmth. Plants
are no doubt organic chemists par excellence! [12]
And that capacity of plants is the result of the presence of the etheric body.
Some processes which mineral substances undergo inside living
organisms resemble the processes that can be enacted in chemical
laboratories. Because of this natural scientists have arrived at the
rather hasty conclusion that life originated from dead inorganic
substances somewhere in the distant past of earthly evolution. [13]
But when we take into account the existence
of the life body, then everything become clearer. Then we can grasp that
what is happening outside the living organism has a pure mineral
character, while activities inside any living organism are influenced
also by the etheric or life body.
On the basis of this we can characterize an organic substance as:
- Substance which can be synthesized
only inside living organisms
- Very large and complex molecule such as carbohydrate, protein, fat, etc. [14]
- Substance which will start to decay after being separated or extracted from a living organism
With the help of this ‘definition ‘ the following conclusions are
evident:
- If substance can be synthesized in the living organisms and in the
chemical laboratory, then this proves that substance belongs to the inorganic realm (e.g. urea, etc).
- Substances produced by living organisms are not automatically organic
substances. We need to take into account their structure. If it is
crystalline (and thus not subjected to decay), such as in the bones or
horns, then it belongs to the mineral kingdom.
- We also have substances produced by living organisms which are
mineralized (e.g. wood), but they retain the ability to decay. We could
designate them as organic substances with the mineral property of being
solid, but with the ability to be reabsorbed into the life cycle when they
are subjected to natural processes of decay or when we put them onto the
compost. [15]
The above explanations will be more obvious when we put them in the
context of the FOURFOLD HUMAN BEING.
One of the four members of the human being is the life or
etheric body. This body
“is not merely a product of the materials and forces of the physical
body, but a real independent entity which first calls forth these
physical materials and forces into life. It is in accordance with
spiritual science to say: a purely physical body, a crystal for example,
has its form through the action of the physical formative forces innate
in that which is lifeless. A living body has its form not through the
action of these forces, because the moment life has departed from it and
it is given to physical forces only, it falls to pieces. The etheric
body is an organism which preserves the physical body every moment
during life from dissolution. [16]
Thus we have arrived to the essential difference between inorganic
and organic substances. While inorganic substance has its structure and
function due to the impact of physical formative forces, the structure
and function of organic substance is
primarily due to the impact of the etheric
formative forces. In short, the difference is due to the presence
and influence of the life body.
