The first human society

In �the first human society�, he uses the mosaic documents to draw a logical perspective on the motives to build the first human society. Excerpt: the tool, through which the whole mankind has preserved its construction and will continue to preserve itse

The first human society according to Mosaic documents.

On the transition of the human being into Freedom and Humanity.

 

Excerpt: the tool, through which the whole mankind has preserved its construction and will continue to preserve itself – namely tradition or the transmission of concepts began to be effective. I

 

f we, hence, transform this voice of God in Eden which defended him the tree of knowledge, into a voice of his instinct which pulled him from this tree, hence, is his supposed disobedience against any divine interdiction nothing else than – a decline of his instinct – hence, a first manifestation of his autonomy, a first test of his reason, a first beginning of his moral existence.

 

This decline of the instinctual human being which the moral malevolence brought, in truth, into creation, however, in order, only, to make possible the moral good in the same creation, is without contradiction, the most fortunate and greatest event in the history of mankind; from this moment on, he prescribes himself his freedom, here, the first remote foundation of his morality would be set.

 

The popular teacher is really right when he treats this event as a case of the first human being, and where it is allowed, pulls from it a useful moral teaching; however, the philosopher is not lesser right to wish luck to human nature in the greatness of this important step into perfection. The first is right, to call it a downfall – for the human being would become a guilty creature from an innocent one, an imperfect progeny of Nature from a perfect one, a moral creature from a happy instrument of an unhappy artist.

 

The philosopher is right to call it an immense step of Humanity, for the human being would, through this act, from a state of slavery of the natural impulse become a freely acting creature, from an automate, become a moral creature and with this step, he entered, first, into the leadership which will lead him, in the course of many centuries, into self obedience. Now, the way which he must be taking for pleasure, would be longer. In the beginning, he might stretch out only the hand, in order to let satisfaction immediately follow desire; now, however, he must already be thinking of switching diligence and courage between desire and its satisfaction.

 

Peace was abolished between him and the animals. Necessity pushed these animals, now, towards his plantations, indeed, against himself, and through his reason, he must have created artificially the security and the superiority of the forces, which Nature has failed him, over them: he must have found weapons and secure his sleep through sturdy habitations before this enemy. However, here, already, Nature replaced for him in the spiritual joy, what it has taken from him in the enjoyment of plants.

 

The planted cabbage surprised him with a delicatesse which he, previously, has not learned to know; sleep rewarded him after the tiring work and under a self made roof, it was sweeter than the indolent rest of his paradise. In the fight with the tiger, which devolved to him, he rejoiced about cleverness and the discovered forces of his members, and with every defeated danger, he could thank himself for the present of his life. Now, he was already too noble for paradise and he recognized himself not when he wished to return in the same paradise, under the pressure of necessity and the burden of worries.

 

An inner, impatient impulse, the awakened impulse of his autonomy, has followed him almost in his idle felicity and corrupts for him the joy which he has created for himself. He would be transforming paradise into wilderness and then, has made wilderness into paradise. However, fortunately for humankind, it has had not to fight any other enemy than the idleness of the fields, the anger of the wild animals and a stormy Nature! – Necessity pressed on him; passions awakened and gave him weapon almost against his fellows. With the human being, he must be fighting for his existence, a long, burdening, still, until now, not ended battle, however, in this battle alone could he be building his reason and morality.

 

Homely life.

 

The first sons whom the mother gave to the human being, have, in comparison to their parents, a very important advantage: they would be raised by human beings. All the progress which the last ones must have done through themselves, and hence, much slower, benefited to their children and would be handed over to them, already in their most tender age, easily and with the sincerity of parental love. With the first son, hence, who was born from the wife, the tool, through which the whole mankind has preserved its construction and will continue to preserve itself – namely tradition or the transmission of concepts began to be effective.

 

The Mosaic documents leave us here, and jump over to a period of fifteen and more years, in order to present to us the two brothers as already grown up. However, this interval of time is for the human history important, and if the original document leaves gaps to us, hence, reason must complete them. The birth of a son, his feeding, up keeping and education multiplied knowledge, experience and duties of the first human beings with an important growth, which we must carefully notice.

 

From the animals, the first mother learned, undoubtedly, her most necessary motherly duties, the same way as she has learned the means to give birth, apparently, from necessity. The carefulness for children made her attentive to numerous small conveniences, which to her, until now, were unknown; the number of things which she learned to make use, multiplied, and the motherly love would be useful in finding inventive means.

 

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