The World as an Illusion

Concentration alternates with dissolution. When a developmental process has reached a certain climax, equilibrium sets in. Human beings, for example, develop until the greatest possible harmony between their inner abilities and the external nature has been achieved. However, such a state of equilibrium cannot last; external forces will approach it destructively. Development must be followed by the descending process of dissolution; what has been drawn together expands again; the cosmic becomes chaos once more. The process of development can begin anew. Spencer thus sees a rhythmic interplay of movement in the world process.