The term higher evolution is used in Theosophy and in Buddhism to indicate the development of consciousness in human beings, as distinct from, although continuous with, the 'lower' or biological evolution within the animal kingdom up to the human level. Whereas the lower evolution is a biological (and largely unconscious) process, the higher evolution is a psychological, even spiritual, process.

Because the higher evolution is a conscious and individual (as opposed to collective) process, it is possible, for example through meditation, to reach full development within a single lifetime.

Further reading