through” and make direct contact with the divine. Among the most famous mystics were *Francis of Assisi, *Meister Eckhart, *Catherine of Siena, *Teresa of Avila and Girolamo *Savonarola. . A phrase coined by Charles *Darwin in contradistinction to the special selection carried out by animal breeders, natural selection described nature’s drive to select individuals that are best adapted to their respective environments. This concept, along with “survival of the fittest,” was foundational