Has Religion Evolved with Humanity? ～The Olduvai Valley Shows Us What Religion Can Show Us: The Monk Takahiro Ueda's Circumnavigation of the World - Tanzania (2)
Hello everyone, March is almost over, but the cold weather is still continuing. I am looking forward to warmer weather.
Today, I would like to talk about my first stop, the Olduvai Valley, and its relationship to religion.
In my last article, I told you about the discovery in the Olduvai Valley of a fossil of the human ancestor Australopithecus (have you ever heard of it in history class?). ) fossils were discovered in the Olduvai Valley, which advanced the study of human origins.
Around 7 million years ago, we humans branched off from the primordial chimpanzee genus to form the genus Homo, the ancestor of us humans.
And we humans, Homo sapiens, are the ones who have inherited the blood of our ancestors and are alive today.
We humans have come this far over a tremendously long period of time, 7 million years, by evolving little by little over time.
By the way, it was about 200,000 years ago that we became homo sapiens, which is almost the same body we have today. And the oldest town in existence was built about 10,000 years ago.
In this light, our human culture and history is a fairly recent event when viewed on the larger scale of 7 million years.
And in recent years, researchers, especially chimpanzee experts, have made such announcements.
Human morality and religion are the product of this tremendously long evolutionary process."
Why are chimpanzee experts studying the origins of morality and religion?Because humans and chimpanzees are so close.This is the case.
this (something or someone close to the speaker (including the speaker), or ideas expressed by the speaker)Close.This means that humans and chimpanzees branched off from this primitive chimpanzee genus 7 million years ago.
This means that humans and chimpanzees are born from a common ancestor.
Having a common ancestor means having similar biological characteristics.
Thus, the study of chimpanzee ecology will also lead to the study of human ecology.
I first learned of this from anthropologist Christopher Baum's book "The Origins of Morality" and primatologist France de Waal's "The Origins of Morality.
They state that morality and religion are essential to human cohesion.
And it was to survive in a harsh environment that humans developed intelligence.
Originally, humans were inhabitants of the jungles of Africa. They lived quietly in the trees of the vast jungle, eating fruits and other food.
However, when the Ice Age began, the world was transformed into a great plain of savanna with few trees as the jungle dwindled.
The savanna is home to a mountain of large carnivores, including lions.
In addition, the trees that bear fruit are gone. Food is scarce.
Before the Ice Age, people could escape from lions by climbing trees in the jungle. Moreover, there was plenty of fruit to be found in those trees.
But now that the ice age has begun, humans are being thrown out onto the great plains of the dangerous savanna.
It was intelligence and morality that developed and evolved to survive there, and religion was born at the end of that long road.
Some of you may be wondering this here.
Why didn't you live in the jungle? Why didn't you just live there?
That's right. That is exactly right.
But it was not possible.
Because it was a place dominated by various creatures stronger than our ancestors.
In fact, humans have been nothing but weaklings in the natural world.
For example, do not underestimate the chimpanzee, a large primate. Their fighting ability is tremendous. They can easily tear a human body into small pieces, and their sharp canine teeth can shatter bones.
During the Ice Age, the safe zones in the tree tops were completely under their control. There was no room for the weak human race in the few safe havens.
The ability that the weak human race has acquired for its survival.
It was intelligence and the collective action and cohesion based on it that eventually led to morality and religion, and humanity came to reign where it is today in the natural world.
We humans are animals, too.
Humans are not the only ones who are special.
Morality and religion are both born to survive as animals.
If so, morality and religion are not quite abandoned.
Therein lies the great significance.
I felt very encouraged by that.
Summary - That's why Olduvai Valley!
A year and a half ago, when I first read "The Origins of Morals" by Krisfer Baum, I was shocked.
I am an animal..."
I thought I knew what I was talking about, but apparently I didn't understand it at all.
I assumed that there was something decidedly different about humans and other animals.
But it seems that was not the case.
This book has given me ideas and perspectives that were completely new to me before.
It was a moment that completely changed the way I thought about people.
I want to see! The beginning of mankind! I want to see the cradle of humanity, where man was forced to evolve as he did!"
I was so shocked that this completely filled my head.
In fact, this desire to visit the cradle of humanity was the direct impetus for this round-the-world trip.
To get to Tanzania, where the Olduvai Valley is located, you will also need to fly and make several connections.
It would be a waste if you go all the way to Africa and come back only there.
Then there are plenty of other places you'd have liked to have gone, you know?
This is how I decided on my round-the-world trip, which was to face what I had learned so far and decide on the route to take.
Hence, the Olduvai Valley.
For me, choosing Tanzania was a big deal.
The starting point for this trip will be right here in the Olduvai Valley.
I have spoken at length, but I will finally be leaving the country tomorrow. Thank you very much for your patience with me today.
I'll be there with care.
be unbroken
Next Article.
Click here to read the previous article.
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