Versions of the origin of man. Basic theories of human origins

General concepts

For a long time, man has been the subject of study of the sciences of spirit and nature. There is still a dialogue and exchange of information between sociology and natural science about the problem of being. At the moment, scientists have given a specific definition to man. This is a biosocial creature that combines intelligence and instincts. It should be noted that not only one person in the world is such a creature. A similar definition can be applied, with a stretch, to some representatives of the fauna on Earth. Modern science clearly separates biology and the essence of man. Leading research institutions around the world are searching for the boundary between these components. This field of science is called sociobiology. She looks deep into the essence of a person, revealing his natural and humanitarian characteristics and preferences.

A holistic view of society is impossible without drawing on data from its social philosophy. Today, man is a creature that is interdisciplinary in nature. However, many people around the world are concerned about another question - its origin. Scientists and religious scholars on the planet have been trying to answer this question for thousands of years.

Human Origins: An Introduction

The question of the emergence of intelligent life on Earth attracts the attention of leading scientists in various specialties. Some people agree that the origins of man and society are not worthy of study. Basically, this is the opinion of those who sincerely believe in supernatural forces. Based on this view of the origin of man, the individual was created by God. This version has been refuted by scientists for decades in a row. Regardless of which category of citizens each person considers himself to be, in any case, this question will always excite and intrigue. Recently, modern philosophers have begun to ask themselves and those around them: “Why were people created, and what is their purpose for being on Earth?” The answer to the second question will never be found. As for the appearance of intelligent creatures on the planet, it is quite possible to study this process. Today, the main theories of human origins are trying to answer this question, but none of them can provide a 100 percent guarantee of the correctness of their judgments. Currently, archaeological scientists and astrologers around the world are exploring various sources of the origin of life on the planet, be they chemical, biological or morphological. Unfortunately, at the moment, humanity has not even been able to determine in which century BC the first people appeared.

Signs of a person

Just as long ago as people began to think about the origins of man, they tried to understand how man differs from animals. Modern scientists identify several characteristics of a person. The first of them is the ability to make and use tools. No less important is the “human” structure of the body: a large volume and complex structure of the brain, a foot that allows you to constantly move on two legs, long legs that make it possible to run, and a hand, the thumb of which is opposed to all the others and can move independently of them.

Darwin's theory

Currently, there are different versions of the origin of man. However, the most probable and closest to the truth is the theory of a British scientist named Charles Darwin. It was he who made an invaluable contribution to biological science. His theory is based on the definition of natural selection, which plays the role of the driving force of evolution. This is a natural scientific version of the origin of man and all life on the planet.

The foundation of Darwin's theory was formed by his observations of nature while traveling around the world. Development of the project began in 1837 and lasted more than 20 years. At the end of the 19th century, the Englishman was supported by another natural scientist, Alfred Wallace. Soon after his report in London, he admitted that it was Charles who inspired him. This is how a whole movement appeared - Darwinism. Followers of this movement agree that all types of fauna and flora on Earth are changeable and come from other, pre-existing species. Thus, the theory is based on the impermanence of all living things in nature. The reason for this is natural selection. Only the strongest forms survive on the planet, those that are able to adapt to current environmental conditions. Man is just such a creature. Thanks to evolution and the desire to survive, people began to develop their skills and knowledge.

Intervention theory

This version of human origins is based on the activities of foreign civilizations. It is believed that people are descendants of alien creatures that landed on Earth millions of years ago. This story of human origins has several endings. According to some, people appeared as a result of crossing aliens with their ancestors. Others believe that genetic engineering of higher forms of intelligence, which bred homo sapiens from the flask and their own DNA, is to blame. Some people are sure that humans arose as a result of an error in animal experiments.

On the other hand, a very interesting and probable version is about alien intervention in the evolutionary development of homo sapiens. It is no secret that archaeologists still find in various parts of the planet numerous drawings, records and other evidence that ancient people were helped by some kind of supernatural forces. This also applies to the Mayan Indians, who were allegedly enlightened by extraterrestrial creatures with wings on strange celestial chariots. There is also a theory that the entire life of humanity from origin to the peak of evolution proceeds according to a long-prescribed program laid down by an alien intelligence. There are also alternative versions about the relocation of earthlings from planets of such systems and constellations as Sirius, Scorpio, Libra, etc.

Basic theories of human origins

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Introduction:

Each person, as soon as he began to realize himself as an individual, was asked the question “where did we come from?” Even though the question sounds very simple, there is no clear answer to it. Nevertheless, a number of sciences deal with this problem - the problem of the emergence and development of man. In particular, in the science of anthropology, even such a concept as anthropogenesis, that is, the historical and evolutionary formation of the physical type of a person, is highlighted. Other aspects of human origins are studied by philosophy, theology, history and paleontology. Theories about the origin of life on Earth are varied and far from reliable.

The most common theories of the origin of life on Earth are the following:

• Evolutionary theory;
• Theory of creativity (creationism);
• External intervention theory;
• Theory of spatial anomalies.

Evolution theory

Evolutionary theory suggests that humans evolved from great apes through gradual modification under the influence of external factors and natural selection.

The evolutionary theory of anthropogenesis has an extensive range of diverse evidence - paleontological, archaeological, biological, genetic, cultural, psychological and others. However, much of this evidence can be interpreted ambiguously, allowing opponents of evolutionary theory to challenge it.

According to this theory, the following main stages of human evolution occur:

• the time of successive existence of anthropoid human ancestors (australopithecus);
• the existence of the most ancient people: Pithecanthropus;
• the stage of Neanderthal, that is, ancient man;
• development of modern people (neoanthropes).

In 1739, Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus classified humans—Homo sapiens—as one of the primates in his System of Natural Sciences. Since then, there has been no doubt among scientists that this is exactly the place of man in the zoological system, which embraces all living forms with uniform classification relationships based mainly on the features of the anatomical structure. In this system, primates form one of the orders in the class mammals and are divided into two suborders: half-masks and great primates. The latter include monkeys, anthropoids and humans. Primates share many features that distinguish them from other mammals.

However, the theory of evolution became widespread thanks to the research of the English scientist Charles Darwin. His theory of natural selection was a real breakthrough, the arguments presented by Darwin and his followers led to the theory of evolution being widely used in the scientific world, and the evolution of man from the animal kingdom became the main theory of anthropogenesis.

Today in the world among ordinary people there are many people who consider themselves staunch adherents of evolutionary anthropogenesis, but despite the large number of its fans, there are a huge number of scientists and ordinary people who admit that the theory is untenable and cite strong indisputable arguments against the evolutionary view of world. An authoritative part of scientists perceives evolutionary theory only as a mythology, based more on philosophical fabrications than on scientific data. As a result, discussions continue in the modern scientific world about the causes of the emergence of the world and man, which sometimes even lead to mutual hostility. However, the theory of evolution still exists and is the most serious and valid.

Theory of creativity (creationism)

This theory states that man is created by God, gods or divine power out of nothing or from some non-biological material. The most famous is the biblical version, according to which God created the world in seven days, and the first people - Adam and Eve - were created from clay. This version has more ancient Egyptian roots and a number of analogues in the myths of other peoples.

Creation myths can also be considered myths about the transformation of animals into people and the birth of the first people by gods.

Of course, the most ardent followers of this theory are religious communities. Based on the sacred texts of antiquity (the Bible, the Koran, etc.), followers of all world religions recognize this version as the only possible one. This theory originated in Islam, but became widespread in Christianity. All world religions gravitate toward a version of a Creator God, but his appearance may vary depending on the religious branch.

Orthodox theology believes that the theory of creation does not require proof. However, various evidence for this theory has been put forward, the most important of which is the similarity of myths and legends of different peoples telling about the creation of man.

Modern theology uses the latest scientific evidence to prove the theory of creation, which, however, for the most part does not contradict the theory of evolution.

Some currents of modern theology bring creationism closer to the theory of evolution, believing that man evolved from apes through gradual change, not as a result of natural selection, but in accordance with the will of God or in accordance with a divine program.

Creationism is considered to be God's creation. However, some now view it as the result of a highly advanced civilization creating various life forms and monitoring their development.

Since the end of the last century, the theory of evolution has dominated the world, but several decades ago, new scientific discoveries made many scientists doubt the possibility of an evolutionary mechanism. In addition, if the evolutionary theory has at least some explanation for the process of the emergence of living matter, then the mechanisms of the emergence of the Universe simply remain outside the scope of this theory, while religion provides comprehensive answers to many controversial questions. For the most part, creationism is based on the Bible, which provides a fairly clear outline of the world around us. Many people believe that creationism is a theory that relies solely on faith in its own development.

However, creationism is precisely a science based on scientific methodology and the results of scientific experiments. This mistake is associated, first of all, with a very superficial acquaintance with the theory of creation, as well as with an established preconceived attitude towards this scientific tendency. As a result, many people are much more sympathetic to those theories that are completely unscientific, not confirmed by practical observations and experiments, such as, for example, the fantastic “paleovisit theory”, which allows us to create the universe as we know it. "external civilizations".

Often creationists themselves add fuel to the fire by placing faith on a par with scientific facts. This gives many the impression that they are dealing more with philosophy or religion than with science.

Creationism does not solve the problem of a narrow, highly specialized field of scientific knowledge. Each separate science that studies its part of the world around us is organically part of the scientific apparatus of creationism, and the facts that it receives form a holistic picture of the doctrine of creation.

The main goal of creationism is to promote scientific knowledge of the world around us using scientific methods and use this knowledge to solve practical problems of humanity.

Creationism, like any other science, has its own philosophy. The philosophy of creationism is the philosophy of the Bible. And this significantly increases the value of creationism for humanity, which has already managed to test by its own example how important the philosophy of science is for preventing the rash consequences of its development.

Creationism is by far the most coherent and coherent theory of the world around us. And it is precisely its correspondence with numerous scientific facts from a wide variety of scientific disciplines that makes it the most promising platform for the further development of human knowledge.

External intervention theory (paleovisit)

According to this theory, the appearance of people on Earth is in one way or another connected with the activities of other civilizations. The term paleovisit itself means a visit to Earth by extraterrestrial civilizations. In its simplest form, TVB considers humans to be the direct descendants of aliens who landed on Earth in prehistoric times.

More complex options for TVB include:

1. interbreeding of aliens with human ancestors;
2. formation of a rational person using genetic engineering methods;
3. control of the evolutionary development of earthly life by the forces of extraterrestrial superintelligence;
4. the evolutionary development of earthly life and mind in accordance with the program originally laid down by extraterrestrial superintelligence.

At the turn of the 1950s and 1960s, the topic of paleoformity received a real chance to enter the sphere of normal scientific research.

On the one hand, during this period there was a real revolution in the perception of the entire problem of extraterrestrial civilizations. By that time, radio astronomy and communication technologies had reached such a level of development that it became clear that radio communication between humanity and its supposed “brothers in mind” from nearby star systems was already possible. Cosmic listening began in search of significant signals, a stream of articles and monographs about extraterrestrial civilizations and ways of contact with them, in a word, the question of alien intelligence, which until now seemed somewhat abstract, finally became the subject of practical problems of science.

On the other hand, humanity's entry into the space age has had a profound impact on scientific thought and, indeed, on entire society. The conquest of near-Earth space, the rapid progress of astronautics, its boundless prospects - all this, among other things, created a solid basis for the assumption that more advanced civilizations of the Galaxy could have long ago begun interstellar expeditions.

The first developer of the paleovisit theory was M.M. Agreste. Having expressed the idea of ​​the possibility of repeated visits to the Earth by envoys from other worlds, the scientist called for a search for relevant evidence in myths, legends, written monuments and material culture. He drew attention to a number of facts relating mainly to the Middle East and neighboring regions: biblical texts about the arrival of celestial beings on Earth, a giant stone terrace erected in Baalbek (Lebanon) unknown by whom and for what purpose, a drawing about an “astronaut” on the Tasilin rocks -Ager (North Africa), etc. However, the theory did not receive the proper response in the scientific world. There were other attempts to return to it, but they all relied on the stereotypes of conservative science and the inability to provide evidence.

In recent decades, the paleovisit theory has experienced a revival. Every year the number of his supporters and followers is growing, and scientific research gives scientists the right to speak more confidently about the existence of an extraterrestrial highly developed civilization that created our world. Some ancient tribes claim to have descended from aliens who passed on their knowledge to them and visited Earth several times.

This cannot be denied, since inexplicable discoveries in the field of mythology and archeology baffle conservative science, but all these mysteries of world history make sense in the context of the existence of an extraterrestrial presence. These are cave paintings depicting unknown creatures, and complex structures resting in the thickness of the earth or on its surface. And who knows, maybe the mysterious Stonehenge, sending secret signals into outer space, is an information module thanks to which Extraterrestrial intelligence monitors its life creations.

Theory of spatial anomalies

Followers of this theory interpret anthropogenesis as an element of the development of a stable spatial anomaly - a humanoid triad, with the help of which it is customary to understand substances, the fusion and interaction of which led to the emergence of humanity. These substances form the “Matter - Energy - Aura” chain, characteristic of many planets of the earthly universe and its analogues in parallel spaces.

This theory views matter and energy not as natural elements of the universe, but as spatial anomalies: ideal space contains neither matter nor energy and consists of proto-particles in a state of equilibrium, a violation of this balance leads to the appearance of elementary particles that are in energetic interaction with each other with a friend. The aura is an information element of the universe. He is able to influence matter and energy, but it also depends on them, that is, there is also interaction here. It is more like a computer that stores and processes information and calculates a plan for the development of the material world several steps ahead.

However, followers of the theory of spatial anomalies believe that the development of human civilization and, possibly, other civilizations of the universe makes the aura more and more similar to the Universal Mind and even to a deity, whose capabilities increase as the mind develops and spreads throughout the Universe.

TPA assumes that the Matter-Energy-Aura system strives to constantly expand, to complicate the structural organization, and the Aura, as the controlling element of the system, strives to create intelligence.

In this regard, the mind is an absolutely priceless thing. Ultimately, this allows the existence of mother and energy to be taken to a new level in which there is directed creation: the production of objects that do not exist in nature, and the use of energy that nature stores in a latent state or wastes in an empty state.

Aura is not a god, and it cannot miraculously create a sentient being. It can only through a process of complex interactions bring to life such factors that can subsequently lead to the emergence of intelligence.

TPA explains this by saying that in its quest to increase the complexity of life forms, Aura takes the prospects of each species several steps ahead. The species is highly specialized and therefore has no prospects; it allows it to become extinct. And views from the point of view, achieving changes in a given direction.

Perhaps Aura has energy or material potential, which allows it to make changes to genetic structures and cause these mutations. There are suggestions that life is caused not only by biochemical processes, but also by special wave phenomena at the subatomic level. It is possible that these particular phenomena are a material echo of the aura and, possibly, the aura itself.

TPA suggests that in humanoid universes on most inhabited planets the biosphere develops along the same path programmed at the aura level.

Given favorable conditions, this path leads to the emergence of a humanoid mind of the earth type.

Overall, the TPA interpretation of anthropogenesis does not differ significantly from evolutionary theory. However, TPA recognizes the existence of a special program for the development of life and consciousness, which, along with random factors, controls evolution.

Conclusion

The origin of life is one of the most mysterious questions, a comprehensive answer to which is unlikely to ever be obtained. Many hypotheses and even theories about the origin of life, explaining various aspects of this phenomenon, still cannot overcome the essential circumstance of experimentally confirming the fact of the origin of life.

Modern science has no direct evidence of how and where life originated. There are only logical constructions and indirect evidence obtained as a result of model experiments, and data in the field of paleontology, geology, astronomy and other sciences.

This is why the question of the origin of man remains unresolved, allowing numerous theories to emerge. None of them have risen to become one yet, and perhaps never will.

Evolutionary theory

Followers of this version believe that the appearance of humans on Earth is associated with the modification of primates. This theory is by far the most widespread and discussed. Based on it, humans descended from certain species of monkeys. Evolution began in time immemorial under the influence of natural selection and other external factors. The theory of evolution indeed has a number of interesting proofs and evidence, both archaeological, paleontological, genetic and psychological. On the other hand, each of these statements can be interpreted differently. The ambiguity of the facts is what does not make this version 100% correct.

Introduction

Every person, as soon as he began to realize himself as an individual, was visited by the question “where did we come from?” Although the question sounds very simple, there is no single answer to it. Nevertheless, this problem - the problem of the emergence and development of man - is dealt with by a number of sciences. In particular, in the science of anthropology, there is even such a concept as anthropogenesis, that is, the process of separating man from the animal world. There are a number of different theories explaining the emergence of man on Earth. One of them is evolutionary theory. Evolutionary theory suggests that humans evolved from higher primates - apes - through gradual modification under the influence of external factors and natural selection. The evolutionary theory of anthropogenesis has an extensive range of diverse evidence - paleontological, archaeological, biological, genetic, cultural, psychological and others. However, much of this evidence can be interpreted ambiguously, allowing opponents of evolutionary theory to challenge it.

Theory of creation

This branch is called “creationism”. His followers deny all major theories of human origins. It is believed that people were created by God, who is the highest level in the world. Man was created in his image from non-biological material.

The biblical version of the theory states that the first people were Adam and Eve. God created them from clay. In Egypt and many other countries, religion goes deep into ancient myths. The vast majority of skeptics consider this theory impossible, estimating its probability at billionths of a percent. The version of the creation of all living things by God does not require proof, it simply exists and has the right to do so. In support of this, we can cite similar examples from legends and myths of peoples from different parts of the Earth. These parallels cannot be ignored.

Theory of space anomalies

This is one of the most controversial and fantastic versions of anthropogenesis. Followers of the theory consider the appearance of man on Earth to be an accident. In their opinion, people became the fruit of an anomaly of parallel spaces. The forefathers of earthlings were representatives of the humanoid civilization, which are a mixture of Matter, Aura and Energy. The anomaly theory suggests that there are millions of planets in the Universe with similar biospheres that were created by a single information substance. Under favorable conditions, this leads to the emergence of life, that is, the humanoid mind. Otherwise, this theory is in many ways similar to the evolutionary one, with the exception of the statement about a certain program for the development of mankind.

Aquatic theory

This version of the origin of man on Earth is almost 100 years old. In the 1920s, the aquatic theory was first proposed by a famous marine biologist named Alistair Hardy, who was later supported by another respected scientist, the German Max Westenhoffer.

The version is based on the dominant factor that forced the great apes to reach a new stage of development. This is what forced the monkeys to exchange their aquatic lifestyle for land. This is how the hypothesis explains the lack of thick hair on the body. Thus, at the first stage of evolution, man moved from the hydropithecus stage, which appeared more than 12 million years ago, to homo erectus, and then sapiens. Today this version is practically not considered in science.

Alternative theories

One of the most fabulous versions of the origin of man on the planet is that the descendants of people were certain chiropteran creatures. In some religions they are called angels. It was these creatures that inhabited the entire Earth from time immemorial. Their appearance was similar to a harpy (a mixture of a bird and a human). The existence of such creatures is supported by numerous cave paintings. There is another theory according to which people in the early stages of development were real giants. According to some legends, such a giant was half-man, half-god, since one of their parents was an angel. Over time, higher powers stopped descending to Earth, and the giants disappeared.

Mythological theories of human origins

A review of the issue should begin with the very first mythological ideas that arose in the primitive era. When a person realized his difference from the surrounding animal world, he tried to explain this to himself. Despite the extreme primitiveness of these explanations, the attempt itself indicates enormous progress in human thinking. We had to operate with abstract concepts.

There are countless myths that explain the origins of man in their own way. Despite the enormous diversity, common features can be identified. First of all, people have clearly separated themselves from higher powers since ancient times. Most often this happened under the influence of the awareness of their powerlessness before nature. It seemed to the man that he was in the power of some omnipotent invisible creatures living in another world. Consequently, there is an ordinary earthly world and an inaccessible abode of the gods. The gods have always existed, which means they created the whole world. They populated this world with their creations, including people. Thus, the main idea of ​​mythology is that man was created by a higher power.

There were other explanations. Totemism assumed the presence of a common ancestor (animal, bird or plant), from which a separate human race descended. But in any case, the common ancestor was also created by the gods.

Ancient myths

There are a huge number of legends and tales about the origin of man. In Ancient Greece, they believed that the ancestors of people were Deucalion and Pyrrha, who, by the will of the gods, survived the flood and created a new race from stone statues. The ancient Chinese believed that the first man was formless and came out of a clay ball.

The creator of people is the goddess Nuiva. She was a human and a dragon rolled into one. According to Turkish legend, people came out of the Black Mountain. In her cave there was a hole that resembled the appearance of a human body. Jets of rain washed clay into it. When the form was filled and warmed by the sun, the first man came out of it. His name is Ai-Atam. Myths about the origins of man from the Sioux Indians say that humans were created by the Rabbit Universe. The divine creature found a blood clot and began to play with it. Soon he began to roll on the ground and turned into intestines. Then a heart and other organs appeared on the blood clot. As a result, the rabbit produced a full-fledged boy - the ancestor of the Sioux. According to ancient Mexicans, God created the image of man from pottery clay. But due to the fact that he overcooked the workpiece in the oven, the man turned out burnt, that is, black. Subsequent attempts got better over and over again, and people came out whiter. The Mongolian legend is one to one similar to the Turkish one. Man emerged from a clay mold. The only difference is that the hole was dug by God himself.

Stages of evolution

Despite the versions of the origin of man, all scientists agree that the stages of his development were identical. The first upright prototypes of people were Australopithecines, who communicated with each other using their hands and were no taller than 130 cm. The next stage of evolution produced Pithecanthropus. These creatures already knew how to use fire and adapt nature to their own needs (stones, skin, bones). Further, human evolution reached the paleoanthropus. At this time, the prototypes of people could already communicate with sounds and think collectively. The last stage of evolution before the appearance of Homo sapiens was the neoanthropes. Outwardly, they were practically no different from modern people. They made tools, united into tribes, elected leaders, organized voting and rituals.

Africa - the ancestral home of humanity

No later than 4.4 - 4.1 million years ago, our anthropoid ancestors first straightened up and began to move mainly on two legs. This freed up their forelimbs, with which they were able to carry food over long distances to eat it in a safe place. At the same time as the legs, the hands began to change: the thumb was opposed to all the others, which made it possible to grasp small objects and make precise movements.

Australopithecus

Free and tenacious hands made it possible for females to carry their cubs in their arms and move them next to them, holding them by the hand. Now the female could take care of not one, but several cubs at the same time. The cubs stayed longer with their mother, who cared for and taught them.

And yet these creatures were closer to monkeys than to people. Their brain size and structure did not differ from the brain of large apes. The legs were quite short, they walked slowly and waddled, but could not run at all. But their long arms allowed them, like monkeys, to climb trees. Therefore, they were called australopithecus , which means “southern apes.” Several species are known to have lived throughout Africa for millions of years.

The best studied species is Australopithecus afarensis. It was this species that belonged to the female whose well-preserved skeleton was found in Ethiopia: scientists nicknamed her Lucy. Lucy, who lived about 3.2 million years ago, convinced scientists that the ancestors of people first stood on two legs and received developed hands, and only then they began to develop a complex and large brain.

The ancestral home of humanity

Despite the fact that scientists and historians around the world are still arguing about theories of the origin of people, the exact place where intelligence originated has still been established. This is the African continent. Many archaeologists believe that it is possible to narrow the location to the northeastern part of the mainland, although there is also an opinion about the dominance of the southern half in this matter. On the other hand, there are people who are sure that humanity appeared in Asia (in India and adjacent countries). Conclusions that the first people inhabited Africa were made after numerous finds as a result of large-scale excavations. It is noted that at that time there were several types of human prototypes (races).

Theories of human origin.

According to this version, Pithecanthropus, Sinanthropus and Neanderthal are not the ancestors of modern humans, but different groups of hominids displaced by Homo erectus from East Africa. There are genetic studies in favor of this hypothesis, which, however, are not considered sufficiently reliable by all anthropologists and paleontologists.

An alternative view of multiregional human evolution argues that only archaic humans arose in Africa, and modern humans arose where they live now.

Man left Africa at least 1 million years ago. This hypothesis is based on paleontological similarities between modern humans and distant ancestors living in their habitats.

It is not yet possible to say which of these hypotheses is correct, since the fossil record is incomplete and intermediate species between humans and apes are still completely unknown.

The entire chain of predecessors of modern man, from the point of view of today's natural science, will look like this: the most ancient ancestor of man and great apes known to science, Ramopithecus, lived in the territory from India to Africa about 14 million years ago.

About 10 million years ago, the ancestor of the orangutan, Sivapithecus, separated from it and remained in Asia. The common ancestor of gorillas, chimpanzees and humans apparently settled in Africa, since it was there that the most ancient tools (made 2.5 million years ago) and the remains of housing (age 1.75 million years ago) were discovered.

The remains of “homo habilis”, Zinjanthropus, who lived 2 million years ago, were found in Africa. He already possessed such human characteristics as upright walking and noticeable development of the hand.

Moreover, the name “skillful” was given to him for his ability to make and use primitive stone tools. From “homo habilis” there is a connection with the oldest humanoid creature, Australopithecus, who lived from 4 to 2 million years ago. Further, the development of modern man can be traced more clearly: Pithecanthropus (1.9-0.65 million years ago); Sinanthropus (400 thousand years ago), Neanderthal, who appeared according to various sources from 200 to 150 thousand years ago, and, finally, Cro-Magnon, our direct ancestor, who appeared from 200 to 40 thousand years ago.

It should be noted that anthropogenesis should not be presented as a linear process.

Therefore, obviously, one should listen to the opinion of the domestic scientist R. Lewontin, whose concept also agrees well with the theory of self-organization.

“All attempts to prove,” he writes, “that this or that fossil is our direct ancestor, reflect an outdated idea of ​​evolution as a strictly linear process and that all fossil forms must form some single sequence connecting the past with the present.”

Speaking about the nonlinearity of the process of anthropogenesis, it should be borne in mind that evolution is carried out in the process of the constant emergence of new branches (bifurcations), most of which disappear very quickly. In each time period, there are many parallel evolutionary lines descending from a common ancestor.

The remains of Australopithecus afarensis, the “southern monkey from Afor,” discovered in 1974 by the English paleontologist L. Leakey, received high scientific value. The remains are female, which is why they received their own name "Lucy". She died about 3.7 million years ago and has long been considered by anthropologists to be our most ancient ancestor on the tree of evolution. Two decades later, in the summer of 1995, Australopithecus anamensis, the “southern lake monkey,” was found on the shores of Lake Turkana, in the same East Africa.

The age of the remains is from 3.9 to 4.2 million years, i.e. older than Lucy. This creature was upright and in its structure is on the direct line of the general development of hominids - the distant ancestors of humans, but also apes.

Also in 1995, as a result of excavations by French researchers in Chad - approximately 2500 km west of the places where all previous discoveries were made in East Africa, a new species of australopithecus was discovered, which was named Australopithecus bahrekgazali - “southern monkey from the Gazelle River” .

How other forms of prehuman later evolved from the descendants of Australopithecus anamensis and "Lucy" is a matter of great debate. Many lines are already known, and paleontologists are finding new ones. The well-known German specialist in this field, F. Schreck, preaches the following idea: Homo rudolfensis, which existed from 2.5 to 1.9 million years ago, the lower jaw of which his group found in 1991 near Lake Malawi, occupies a central place in the line of human development.

Together with this representative of the “man” genus, his fellow tribesmen from East Africa can be classified as the first people in history. Perhaps the closest descendants of Homo dolfesis began a chain of migration from Africa about 2 million years ago.

It is possible that the descendants of the genus Homo rudolfesis could have been the settlers to Java, and then it becomes clear that this creature appeared in Asia about 1.8 million years ago.

In the middle of the last century, a hypothesis was put forward about the arrival of ready-made Homo sapiens to Europe from Asia, but it did not find the necessary support, since it relied on rather scarce material (skulls from Swanscombe and Fonteshevad).

Russian archaeologist Yuri Mochanov in Central Yakutia found 400 objects apparently made by human hand.

According to preliminary data, the site is 2.5-1.8 million years old. Later, even a skull was found there. If we take as a starting point the existence of ancient people 2.5-1.8 million years ago in Yakutia, then the next logical step should be the recognition that the emergence of the human race occurred in the western part of Northeast Asia, and not in Africa, as is believed generally accepted now, or admit the possibility of a very rapid migration of the early ancestors of humans from Africa to northern Siberia.

Archaeologists cannot come to terms with this news so easily and immediately. Among the skeptics is the prominent anthropologist Richard Klein from Stanford University, who does not admit the possibility of “rewriting the history of human evolution based on data obtained from just one excavation site.”

One way or another, scientists have a new mystery that they have to solve.

The main problem in reconstructing human evolution is that we have no close relatives among our living ancestors. Our closest, although not very close, living relatives—the chimpanzee and the gorilla—were related to us by a common ancestor at least 7 million years ago.

There are three global approaches, three main points of view on the emergence of man: religious, philosophical and scientific. The religious approach is based on faith and tradition; it usually does not require any additional confirmation of its correctness. The philosophical approach is based on a certain initial set of axioms, from which the philosopher builds his picture of the world through inferences.

The scientific approach is based on facts established through observations and experiments.

To explain the connection between these facts, a hypothesis is put forward, which is tested by new observations and, if possible, experiments, as a result of which it is either rejected (then a new hypothesis is put forward) or confirmed and becomes a theory. In the future, new facts may refute the theory; in this case, the following hypothesis is put forward, which better corresponds to the entire set of observations.

Religious, philosophical, and scientific views changed over time, influenced each other and intricately intertwined.

Sometimes it is extremely difficult to figure out which area of ​​culture to attribute a particular concept to. The number of existing views is enormous. It is impossible to briefly review at least a third of them. Below we will try to understand only the most important of them, the ones that most influenced people’s worldview.

The strangest archaeological finds

Among the most interesting artifacts that can influence the idea of ​​what the origin and development of man actually was were the skulls of ancient people with horns. Archaeological research was carried out in the Gobi Desert by a Belgian expedition in the mid-20th century.

On the territory of the former Sumerian civilization, images of flying people and objects heading to Earth from outside the solar system were repeatedly found. Several other ancient tribes have similar drawings. In 1927, as a result of excavations in the Caribbean Sea, a strange transparent skull similar to a crystal one was found. Numerous studies have not revealed the technology and material of manufacture. Descendants of the Mayan tribe claim that their ancestors worshiped this skull as if it were a supreme deity.

Human Origins

The main provisions of the theory of human evolution are formulated in the works of Charles Darwin . These were bold views for that time, since religious views on the origin of humans, animals, and life in general on Earth dominated. The founder of biological systematics, C. Linnaeus, even before Charles Darwin, made assumptions about the relationship between humans and great apes ( Fig. 1 ).

Rice. 1. Model of the evolutionary process according to Linnaeus and Darwin

Modern anthropology is a young science. "Anthropos" means "man". Anthropologists study the origins and formation of humans as a biological species, populations, the reasons for their diversity, and interactions.

According to the laws and rules of taxonomy, modern people belong to the genus Human, the species Homo sapiens, the subspecies H. sapiens sapiens,

In the 20th century, the species Homo habilis was considered the first “real” human. This is a skilled man, whose remains were found in Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge in 1960 ( Fig. 2 ). Primitive man already used tools.

Rice. 2. Paleontological excavations

The next stage of evolution is Pithecanthropus. The systematic name of this ancestor is Homo erectus, which translates to “Homo erectus.” This ancestor was engaged in hunting, gathering, and fishing. Gradually, the settlement and isolation of Homo erectus groups occurred. Thus, Neanderthals appeared in Europe about 40 thousand years ago. These were the direct ancestors of modern people.

The theory of the origin and development of man existed almost unchanged from the time of Darwin until the end of the 20th century. Then, in the Middle East, fossil remains of modern humans were found, the age of which was 90 thousand years. Similar discoveries have been made in other regions. This means that modern man was formed over the last 100–200 thousand. The discoveries caused the “evolution” of the theory, the emergence of different models of the origin of man.