IS THE UNIVERSAL SOUL CREATIVE, BUT NOT PRESERVATIVE?
Does the universal Soul form all the beings successively, first man, then the horse, then some other animal, and last the wild beasts?[254] Does she begin by producing earth and fire; then, seeing the co-operation of all these things which mutually destroy or assist each other, does she consider only their totality and their connections, without regarding the accidents which occur to them later? Does she limit herself to the reproduction of preceding generations of animals, and does she leave these exposed to the passions with which they inspire each other?