The Spirit in Human Evolution - Waldorf Research Institute

Chapter 1
Self-Knowledge, Truth and Goodness
Discovering where we came from reveals much about who we are, and knowing
ourselves helps us understand our origins. As creative beings we are always in a state of
becoming, which is why evolution and individual development are aspects of a single
dynamic process. The questions of human origins and the nature of the human being are
inextricably woven together. How mankind came to be the dominant species on earth
is a story that tells us what kind of beings we are. Conversely, understanding what kind
of beings we are sheds light on how we have come to our unique position within the
ecology of the earth.
Furthermore, the self-knowledge we gain through studying our origins is not
merely of personal interest but also has a significance for the rest of world. The fact is,
the destiny of life on earth is bound up with this human quest for self knowledge. The
unique and wondrous abilities of human beings and how they arose are the subject of
this book, and I will be exploring them in detail. But let it be said at the outset that we
have a duty to attempt to understand these faculties in as comprehensive and honest
a way we can because of the shadows they cast on the world that sustains us. We
experience this darkness most drastically in the ecological consequences of modern
technology which is, after all, the most potent expression of human intelligence. So
significant are the consequences of this intelligence for the planet that they can hardly
be exaggerated. Let it suffice to list a few of the most familiar (though far from fully
understood) concerns: chemical and radioactive pollution, advanced destruction of the
ozone layer, global warming, the loss of natural habitats with local and global impact,
diminishing biodiversity, and human overpopulation. Furthermore, we must add to
our ecological deficits a heavy balance of intra-personal, social, cultural, economic and
political helplessness, of fear and uncertainty which comes to expression in all manner
of social woes.
Whatever we hold to be the significance of the end of one millennium and the
start of another, we have reason enough to reflect on what humanity has become and
what it may become. The past century closed with a deep frown of concern on its brow.
A century of incredible progress, the most rapid period of fundamental change in the
whole of human history, leaves us dangling, disoriented, faced by paradox where- ever
we turn. Let us be honest and admit to a primal uncertainty. Who really knows what it all
means? I could fill this chapter with a frightening story of seemingly intractable problems
and impossible challenges, interpreted by a Babel of competing theories and therapies.
It is no wonder that we are so drawn to tales of the weird and mysterious on the one
hand and prone to getting away from it all (self-gratification, endless entertainment,
consuming, drugs, alcohol and anything else that seems to take the pain away) on the
other. It is unnecessary to attempt a scholarly analysis of the symptoms of the times and
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