Nine principles
Principle I.
All that exists is either the effect of an antecedent cause, or is causeless.
Principle II.
All that exists is one substance in a multitude of conditions and forms.
Principle III.
God and the universe are, in fact one. That is, God and the universe are one substance.
Principle IV.
Natural law, that is, the operational laws of the universe, and the will of God, are one.
Principle V.
All that exists does so according to necessity, which is the fulfillment of natural law or the will of God, and could not fail to exist or exist otherwise than it does. likewise, all that exists is determined and made necessary by natural law/ the will of God, and is caused, meaning that each current condition is the effect of some number of antecedent causes.
Principle VI.
The procession of causes and effects constitute the evolutionary history of the universe, or, the revelation of the will of God.
Principle VII.
The evolutionary process of the universe moves according to a system of interactions which operate according to cause and effect, and from which new conditions arise that in turn interact and produce new conditions according to the same operations.
Principle VIII.
The manifest tendency of the universe is to structure, order, functionality, life, and intelligence. This is seen in the natural movement to structure and order in all things in the universe, to the movement to functionality is the various systems in the universe, to the movement to various kinds of life within systems, and to the movement of various kinds of intelligence within living things.
Principle IX.
In the manifest tendency of the universe being towards structure, order, life, and intelligence, according to multiple cause and effect interactions, it may be seen that future conditions will build upon past conditions, and that the traits listed above will remain and build upon one another according to necessity. Today’s structures, orders, lives, and intelligences will be superseded by tomorrows.
JVS