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14 - Life, mind, and society

from III - A new conception of life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2014

Fritjof Capra
Affiliation:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, California
Pier Luigi Luisi
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi Roma Tre
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Summary

The evolutionary link between consciousness and social phenomena

Around 4 million years ago, an extraordinary confluence of events occurred in the evolution of primates with the appearance of the first upright-walking apes of the genus Australopithecus (see Section 11.2). The new freedom of their hands allowed these early hominids to make tools, wield weapons, and throw rocks, which stimulated the rapid brain growth that became characteristic of human evolution, leading eventually to the development of language and reflective consciousness. While they developed complex brains, tool-making skills, and language, the helplessness of their prematurely born infants led to the formation of the supportive families and communities that became the foundation of human social life. Thus, the evolution of language and human consciousness was inextricably connected with that of technology and of organized social relations from the very beginning of human life. In particular, the evolutionary stage of the Australopithecine hominids established a fundamental link between consciousness and social phenomena. With the evolution of language arose not only the inner world of concepts and ideas but also the social world of organized relationships and culture, which is the subject of this chapter.

From an evolutionary perspective, then, it is very natural to ground the understanding of social phenomena in a unified conception of life and consciousness. Indeed, the systems view of life attempts to integrate life's biological, cognitive, and social dimensions (see Capra, 2002). As we discussed in Section 12.3.3, our ability to hold abstract mental images – a critical property of reflective consciousness – is of special relevance to such an integrative approach. Being able to hold mental images enables us to choose among several alternatives, an ability which is necessary to formulate values and social rules of behavior. On the other hand, differences of values give rise to conflicts of interest, which are the origin of relationships of power, as we shall discuss below. Thus, the ability of human consciousness to form abstract mental images of material objects and events lies at the roots of the main characteristics of social life.

Type
Chapter
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The Systems View of Life
A Unifying Vision
, pp. 297 - 321
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2014

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