A reboot of Richard Owen’s common archetype theory

Richard Owen's concept of the "common archetype" and Charles Darwin's theory of the "common ancestor" both aimed to elucidate the similarities and differences observed in the diversity of life. However, while Owen's theory lacked a comprehensive framework and testable mechanisms to explain the selection of nested patterns in the design process and the separate evolution of vertebrate species, Darwin's theory provided a more robust and testable explanation for these phenomena. Primary objective of this article, based on existing literature, is to demonstrate how all extant organisms share a common design traceable to a universal common designer. Initially, we conduct a brief review of the evidence supporting Owen's theory and explore how his notion of a common platonic archetype may relate to human consciousness or a self-collapsing wave-function, thus synthesizing specific theories of quantum consciousness and process structuralism. Next, we delve into the rationale behind expecting a common design to manifest through the evolutionary process rather than solely through common descent. Subsequently, we propose potential reasons why a designer might utilize nested patterns in creation. We then present an extended version of the common archetype theory, followed by an updated model of species origins, elucidating how major species may have been separately designed. Furthermore, we outline a series of methods and steps for testing the model, including unique falsifiable predictions. This extended common archetype theory not only offers a fresh perspective on evolutionary processes, potentially prompting a paradigm shift, but also holds promise for reconciling perceived conflicts between science and faith.