Philosophical, Religious, and Evolutionary Perspectives on Man

Philosophical Perspectives on Man

To understand the philosophical concept of man, we can refer to the Platonic and Aristotelian views. According to Plato, man is a dual being, consisting of the soul and the body. The soul, considered the true man, is perfect, immortal, and immutable, imprisoned in the body to pay a karma and dominated by reason. The body is the prison of the soul.

Aristotle views man as a unitary being formed by the union of body and soul, where each alone would be nothing, but together they form man. A synthesis of these views suggests: "Man is created in the image and likeness of God, the focus of His work, interacting with others and the environment, equipped with superior intelligence, and constituted as a unit with itself and its creator."

Religious Classifications

Religions are often classified into Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, animistic, pantheistic, and agnostic categories.

Evolution of Man

The Australopithecus lived in East and South Africa. They were short, with small skulls, long faces, forward-projecting teeth, and were primarily vegetarian. They had elevated chests, long arms, and short legs.

Subspecies of Australopithecus:

• Afarensis: Small brain, large face.
• Bahrelghazali
• Africanus
• Garhi
• Robustus
• Paranthropus

Homo Species

The Homo genus includes Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens is further divided into Neanderthalensis (Neanderthal) and Sapiens sapiens (Cro-Magnon).

Homo habilis

Homo habilis had long arms, a round head, and a relatively large brain. Their jaw was not as massive, making them appear less ape-like. They had a sufficiently developed brain to strike a stone and the potential for speech.

Homo erectus

Homo erectus stood upright, was stout, and weighed around 80 kg, reaching a height of 1.80 meters. They were the first to use fire and build houses of leather and bones, expanding into Asia and Europe.

Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens possessed advanced hunting techniques and religious practices. Subspecies include Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon.

Homo neanderthalensis

Homo neanderthalensis survived the cold of the last ice age and the dangers of prehistory and had a large brain.

Homo sapiens sapiens

Homo sapiens sapiens, more like modern humans, were tall, slender, and less muscular than Neanderthals. Their brain was smaller but more developed in the frontal lobe, allowing for greater intellectual capacity, abstract thinking, and elaborate language.