 Cope 's Theology of Evolution ( 1887 ) argued that consciousness comes from the mind of the universe and governs evolution by directing animals to new goals . According to Sideris ( 2003 ) , " [ Cope ] argued that organisms respond to changes in their environments by an exercise of choice . Consciousness itself , he maintained , was the principal force in evolution . Cope credited God with having built into evolution a life force that propelled organisms toward even higher levels of consciousness . " 
