Humanity's Place: Cosmic Significance and Social Nature

Man's Place in the Universe

Is man the center of the universe? The Greeks thought the Earth occupied the center of the cosmos and that man was the center of the universe, a microcosm; that is, everything is surrounded, there is also behind him, and vice versa. Thus arose the idea of man as the center of the universe (anthropocentrism). Later, the Earth ceased to occupy that prominent place. If our planet does not occupy the center of cosmic space, is man the goal and purpose of the evolution of the universe?

Teilhard de Chardin asked: "What sense is this becoming? Is evolution directed? What I intend in this essay is to build a picture of the physical world around the individual, chosen as a significant element within the whole system..." So, Teilhard de Chardin moves from evolution towards a more religious meaning, interpreting man not as the outcome of the process, but its beginning.

For others, man is the result of evolution, but not its end. The result could be different. Monod (20th century) stated: "Life has appeared on Earth. What was the probability of it appearing before the event? ... Our number came out in the Monte Carlo game. What is strange is that, like someone who just won millions, we feel the rarity of this condition?"

Human Nature: Social or Selfish?

Is man a social being? For the Greeks, man is a political animal, sociable, and a citizen. Thus, Aristotle made clear "that the city-state is a natural thing and that man is by nature a political [animal]... Man is unique among animals in that he has the gift of language... Language is intended to indicate what is helpful and harmful, right and wrong, and it is man's particular property, being the only animal that has the perception of right and wrong and other moral qualities, and community and participation in these things is what makes a family and a city-state."

This statement finds its opposite opinion in T. Hobbes (17th century), for whom man is not naturally sociable, but his nature is inherently aggressive and selfish. "Man is a wolf to man." We find in the nature of man 3 main causes of contention:

• 1) Competition
• 2) Diffidence (Distrust)
• 3) Glory

The first cause drives men to attack to make a profit; the second, to secure their safety; the third, to earn reputation... "During the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition or state called war; a war that is of every man against every man."