This book is a collection of facts and evidence that strongly support the realization that all life that spawns on Earth is one very large and very old fungus to which humanity is the spore.  The facts and evidence that support this are 1) there is a split in early fungus around 1 billion years ago that formed both plant and animal life on Earth, 2) all plants and animals retain fungal characteristics from that split, and 3) the behavior of all plant and animal life throughout evolution is highly comparable to the growth of fungi in their mushroom life cycle.  At the end of this cycle, a spore is produced that will be ejected to expand new life.  Since the Earth will ultimately end, humanity’s purpose is that of the spore of Earth’s ancient fungus that will be ejected to continue growth in the cosmos.  Thus, all life on Earth is one large fungus that has developed humanity as its spore. 

Viewing this process, from humble terrestrial beginnings to extraterrestrial existence in its entirety, as a system that brings a nascent conscious growth to its maximum potential reveals the function, and arguably the purpose, of the universe: a mechanism for conscious growth.  The mere fact that you can read this introduction today, while humans were incapable of storing and transferring information via formal methods of communication like writing thousands of years ago, is evidence that human life, and all life on Earth that was or will be, is a conscious growth process.  This demonstrates that a higher level of consciousness exists today in comparison to that of past times. 

More recently, even over short periods of time human consciousness has grown significantly.  This demonstrates that this conscious growth occurs at accelerating rates.  We hold more power in our hands now than what was used to get the astronauts to the moon, which was not even 100 years ago.  With only this evidence presented to you, it would seem like the craziest luck or accident of all accidents that this would occur in the universe by fluke or chance.  It would make more sense if this was an intended result or a logical consequence of some underlying mechanism.  This work aims to demonstrate that conscious growth occurs due to underlying principles inherent within the universe.  These limitations force continual adaptation, which is best displayed in the evolution of life forms and their response to their environment.  An example of such a forced adaptation that is quintessential for any conscious growth to overcome is the death of its biosphere, and as stated before, Earth’s fate is no different. 

We are becoming more and more aware of Earth’s inevitable demise in modern times due to scientific advancement in the understanding of the Sun’s increasing heat output.  Knowledge of this fact leads to the realization that Earth will overheat and become inhospitable to life.  This “Human Condition of Absolutes” causes fear and concern over the longevity of our species as a whole.  The awareness of this condition is only beginning to permeate the general public’s awareness and these ramifications are personal to us.  However, this is not the case, as this mechanism is at play in every star system throughout the universe.  Thus, this is a universal limitation for any life to form, become sentient, and evacuate its birthplace. 

Ultimately, the proof that this mechanism exists will be shown to be evident in the formation and evolution of life itself.  Thus, it will become clear to the reader that the product of the universe is maximum conscious growth (MCG) and it is achieved by the mechanisms enforced by the very physics that govern the universe itself.  The physical manifestation of this conscious growth is the ultimate appearance of a fungus that produces a spore.