The venture of independent thinking

Science is the source from which we take our insights in our first and last questions. We find our question 'What is a human being' extensively thought over in the theory of evolution. We accept the contents of this theory - it all has been scientifically proven, so we think. But why wouldn't we make a little trip by ourselves? We don't always have to be in leading-strings of science. It is possible to try some independent thinking.

The first thing that strikes us is the word 'theory'. It has to be a theory of course, because no one can pretend that he has watched all the stages himself, and proven them to be true in their acceptation. There is a wealth of scientific information. Skeletons have been found that point to extinct types of animals, and of course there seems to be a proof for the theory of evolution in the range of species in the animal realm, animals that are still there. An evolution can be recognized - this evolution has to go on in our times and also in the future. But the exact understanding of the scientific data forms a theory till now, not an absolutely proven certainty. It could be that the scientists made mistakes in their interpretation of the facts. If these mistakes would be found, they would put everything into question.

So let's think something else, than what is prescribed by the theory. We are on a quest to the essence of the human being. Let's consider man as the highest species of animals. We see the monkey - it is not extinct - and then the human beings that seem to have developed from the monkey, for instance the Neanderthal - who is extinct - and at last there is a development of the homo sapiens.
     



Skeleton of a Neanderthal and a homo sapiens

Viewing this, there seems to be no other way to think about the development than is given in the theory of evolution. Still we could try to think about these images without any prejudice. What do we actually see? The stature of the monkey has stretched itself upward; the snout seems to lie more backward, and has become the upper and lower jaw(s). The forehead has become much higher, and in the hips there seems to be a state of lightness. The arms are relatively shorter, the legs longer. The arms don't have to be used for support and so they can be used for acting.
In this way you could learn to see thinking, or to think seeing. You can learn to move along with the form-changing, and by doing so, you learn to feel the changes. You can experience how a monkey lives in the horizontal plane, a bit more upright than other animals though. Man lives in the vertical plane, and has his overview over everything.

These are no theoretical thoughts anymore; they are facts of inner experience. You are sure about them, just as you are sure when you feel water on your skin - or like you know for sure when you get up in the morning (out of your bed). You can see through thinking that a human being lives in a different position than a monkey - and the Neanderthal already had this different position, less refined though. You can see the faculty of overview in the stature of a human being. His changed position shows it clearly. You can see that his faculty to speak and think comes from this change. It doesn't look like a gradual change - it looks like a jump from one condition to another.

Of course you can criticize this; I can find many arguments against it myself. Much more difficult seems to be this independent thinking, this viewing thinking, or thoughtful viewing. It is unusual, and so it is very difficult. The only thing that can happen to you is that you lose your point of view - and have to find it again, or to find another.
As an experiment you can also try to view and experience these stadia in development of eight living beings. Look at them with your mind - and wonder about man...


Drawings by HaeckelThe venture of independent thinking by Mieke Mosmuller