The article briefly describes how a person became a person in terms of evolution and considers the moral aspect of this phenomenon.
Start
The question of the origin of man has always occupied scientists. Back in the Middle Ages, there were researchers who were not satisfied with the biblical explanation and the very fact of divine intervention. They questioned him or initially did not believe in the legend of the creation of the world. Especially religious postulates were shaken by scientific progress, which revealed to humanity the truth about the laws of the Universe, the structure of the human body and other previously unknown secrets.
At the beginning of the XIX century, scientists discovered the first remains of fossil hominids (our anthropoid ancestors), and their skeletons were very different from living people or monkeys. And yet, how did
man become man? What are the causes of evolution? Is it enough just to belong to the species Homo Sapiens to be called a man? We’ll talk about this.
Why us
Darwin also developed and partially proved his own theory of evolution. And even after centuries, paleoanthropologists find more and more new confirmations of it. However, scholars are still debating about what gave impetus to the biological development of the human species in particular? Indeed, on Earth there are dozens of other groups of living beings that have not become rational. Therefore, many are wondering: “How did man become man?” There are many theories, but we will proceed from the classical - evolutionary hypothesis.
Evolutionary development
Evolution is an incredibly long process that involves a series of accidents, genetic mutations and natural selection. You can give the following example: imagine a straight line: its beginning is the first humanoid monkeys, but over millions of years the line has grown, splitting into separate branches. Some of them moved on, another came to a standstill and stopped developing. As a result, the line split once and for all: the human race remained on one segment, and the primates on the next.
Naturally, this example is greatly exaggerated, but gives a general understanding of how evolution occurred, and, accordingly, how a person became a person.
Social reasons
There are several hypotheses. They are too extensive, so we give them briefly. Oddly enough, love had a huge impact on the development of our ancestors. Rather, monogamy. In the harem system, which is observed, for example, in gorillas, at the top of the hierarchy is a leader who constantly has to prove his leadership in battles with his own kind. But when our ancestors left polygamy, forming families, everything changed.
A man became a man because he gradually realized: the lack of rivalry is very profitable. Indeed, instead of constant battles, you can join in groups for hunting, gathering, protection from predators or raids of neighboring tribes.
In addition, man is a social being. This means that outside of society its full development is impossible. That is why ancient people created large groups, and many Mowgli children did not learn how to live in society, being isolated for a long time from it in early childhood.
Intelligence development
Also, the ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions played a significant role in human development. This factor, along with the struggle for existence, became the impetus for the growth of the brain fractions of the ancient inhabitants of the planet.
The most important stage in the development of intelligence was the manufacture of tools. Their improvement gradually led to the fact that people improved their diet, acquired certain skills, and began to develop new territories. In addition, the inhabitants of the planet appeared abstract thinking: in order to make an object, it is necessary to clearly represent the final result. Scientists believe that it is the development of this type of thinking that led to the emergence of speech - the main feature that distinguishes us from animals.
But to answer the question "How did I become a man" this is not enough. Human society differs from animals in the presence of moral and moral principles.
Moral
It is generally accepted that our ancestors during the Middle Ages were much less developed than modern man. But this is not so. They were less educated, lived easier due to the lack of most of the progressive achievements that today's people are used to. But in matters of survival, of course, they surpassed the inhabitants of modern cities. However, there is one moral aspect, which in our time is much more developed than in ancient centuries. This is morality.
In a civilized society, it is customary to receive compulsory secondary education. It is in the lessons in children that they gain an understanding of the importance of those traits that should be instilled in the family: mercy, philanthropy, responsiveness, altruism. Students are asked: "How to become a real person?" The understanding is given that a person should not be guided only by his own benefit and base needs - it is necessary to pay attention to the desires and problems of others, strive to accumulate not only material values, but also spiritual ones. Just the last group of needs includes reading books. Without this, it is impossible to become a real person, because the wisdom embodied on their pages, world experience and the search for truth can teach and help most effectively.
To become a person in the full sense of the word, you need to remember kindness, mutual assistance, respect for loved ones and elders. These are not empty words - it is precisely such activities as caring for the elderly, helping those in need, or a friend in need, that ultimately turned our ancestors into full-fledged people.
Summarizing the foregoing, it is worth noting that a person needs a society of his own kind for adequate development, an insatiable thirst for knowledge and observance of moral principles.