Great chain of being

Human: What is the great chain of being?

AI: The great chain of being is a hierarchical arrangement of every organism on Earth, usually ascending from simplest to most complex. It is also known as Ladder Theory, Great Chain of Being, Nested Hierarchy, Ladder of Life, Scale of Nature, Ladder of Evolution, and scala naturae, among others.

Human: What is the ladder of evolution?

AI: That's an interesting topic. Just a moment, while I access some useful information on that subject for you.

Human:  Tell me about the ladder of evolution.

AI: The term ladder of evolution can refer to either the conceptual metaphor in Western culture that life is a hierarchical arrangement of various organisms in which simpler forms precede more complex ones, leading ultimately to humans, or to the broader philosophical concept of scala naturae.

Human: Tell me about scala naturae

AI: In the traditional form of the theory, the ladder is composed of three principal, material rungs or aspects of created nature: divine or supernatural beings, inanimate objects, and living beings. All living beings, it is argued, have a place within a hierarchy of being, from the lowliest organism to God, although each being's position on the ladder reflects not only its inherent qualities but also the good fortune (or bad) of its relationships with other things.

Human: What is the modern thinking on this topic?

AI: Based on the studies of experts on this topic, modern thinking is that the ladder of evolution is not a ladder at all. Instead it is more like a directed graph or directed network.

Human: What is the hierarchy of being?

AI: The hierarchy of being is a concept derived from various scientific classifications of organisms, whereby organisms are grouped according to shared characteristics. These shared characteristics are known as the ladder of life or hierarchy of life.