The Order of Nature

work by Henderson

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July 1, 2026

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Lawrence Joseph Henderson's work, The Order of Nature (1917), posits that the natural environment is uniquely suited for life. Henderson argued that inherent physical properties of matter lead to increasingly complex chemical interactions, suggesting that chemical evolution, the creation of life, and biological evolution are not accidental but rather proceed by design. This philosophical perspective complements his scientific work in biochemistry, where he discovered how acid-base equilibria are maintained in biological fluids through physiological buffers, a concept formalized in the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. The term "natural order" refers to the orderly system of the physical universe functioning according to natural laws, distinct from human or supernatural ones.12

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Lawrence Joseph Henderson
…of the Environment (1913) and The Order of Nature (1917), in which he argued that the planet’s natural environment is perfectly suited for the development of life. Furthermore, he felt that “unique physical properties of matter” made a steadily increasing variety of chemical interactions inevitable; thus, chemical evolution, the creation…
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…of the Environment (1913) and The Order of Nature (1917), in which he argued that the planet’s natural environment is perfectly suited for the development of life. Furthermore, he felt that “unique physical properties of matter” made a steadily increasing variety of chemical interactions inevitable; thus, chemical evolution, the creation…
Read More