Thoraiya DyerHomo Humanus becomes the end of selfishness
December 2nd 2006 22:55
filed under FREEWARE FUTURE
I admire scientists who take a step back and look at the pitiful human condition like a god. Animals can't do it.
The first ape who evolved into a human, for instance, used a splinter from a tree's bark or a stray chipped log to pick orange rind stuck in his teeth. He did it maybe out of extreme annoyance, or inspiration, or fun. In a sense he was an inventor who left a legacy to mankind: the common toothpick.
But he also used the toothpick, which was then a foot long and 2 inches thick, to stab a younger ape when the latter tried to steal his ape-girlfriend. Thus our first ape learned to use the tool both to help himself and to hurt others. I didn't see the first ape become any different to the man that he is today, except that he wore a necktie, shaved his beard, and drove a Mercedes.
The moment the first ape-man becomes aware of the power his tool yields and takes a step back before using it against any man -- in all circumstances not just one -- then we're seeing a mutant. I heard someone say it's called Homo Humanus. In this new species, the heart has softened, the soul has emerged, and the common toothpick has, well, become an instrument of compassion.
VIA
NEW SCIENTIST
Frans de Waal forecasts the future
I admire scientists who take a step back and look at the pitiful human condition like a god. Animals can't do it.
The first ape who evolved into a human, for instance, used a splinter from a tree's bark or a stray chipped log to pick orange rind stuck in his teeth. He did it maybe out of extreme annoyance, or inspiration, or fun. In a sense he was an inventor who left a legacy to mankind: the common toothpick.
But he also used the toothpick, which was then a foot long and 2 inches thick, to stab a younger ape when the latter tried to steal his ape-girlfriend. Thus our first ape learned to use the tool both to help himself and to hurt others. I didn't see the first ape become any different to the man that he is today, except that he wore a necktie, shaved his beard, and drove a Mercedes.
The moment the first ape-man becomes aware of the power his tool yields and takes a step back before using it against any man -- in all circumstances not just one -- then we're seeing a mutant. I heard someone say it's called Homo Humanus. In this new species, the heart has softened, the soul has emerged, and the common toothpick has, well, become an instrument of compassion.
VIA
NEW SCIENTIST
Frans de Waal forecasts the future
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