324. Thus, terrestrial man's conscious creations reach no further than purely physical chemistry. He still works day-consciously only with substances which can be resolved into results which are "mineral". These results do not disclose any kind of independent life, that is to say they do not contain within themselves a particular reproductive ability through which they can maintain themselves, and therefore – as distinct from "plant" and "animal" substances which "age" only after a culmination of growth – they "age" from their very first appearance in existence. The term "age", in this connection, should be understood as meaning a strong disintegrating degeneration. In this way, all mineral products are totally exposed to the "tooth of time" which, day by day, brings them ever towards their complete breakdown and destruction. This principle is not altered by the fact that in the case of certain mineral substances the process may take centuries or millennia while for others it takes only hours or minutes. And therefore such matter is also called "lifeless".
      However, it is not so with regard to plant and animal substances. These have a certain period where they triumphantly resist the "tooth of time". They have within themselves a regenerative ability which enables them to continue to develop a more beautiful and more radiant appearance until they reach a certain culmination point after which, like mineral substances, they too degenerate. It is on account of this regenerative ability that it has been quickly recognized by modern science that such substances are "alive". This presents us apparently with two kinds of substance: "lifeless" and "alive". But this is only apparent. In reality all matter is equally "alive". There is, in fact, no difference. All matter expresses movement, mineral as well as plant and animal. And as that movement represented by matter proves to be "planned" then it must be the result of intellect. But as intellect can only be characteristic of a being who is alive, then all matter in the Universe is an expression of life and can only exist as identical with life. All things are alive.