The Golden Age of Mankind
Although many people believe that there is nothing golden about us humans, some thinkers embrace the idea of a period when man was almost perfect.
The golden age of humans refers to the dawn of mankind. In philosophy it is linked with another phase called the ontological cut, for obvious reasons that will be explained and analyzed in the next paragraphs.
According to this, at the beginning man lived in harmony with nature. Although, in comparison with animals, the human being has a very vulnerable body, yet intelligence and the capacity to communicate transformed this creature into a real adversary. However, this early version of ourselves did not take from nature more than it needed, limiting itself to satisfying his basic needs. This healthy relationship did not apply only to man and nature, but also to man and his fellow brothers. It is the image of the "gentle savage" and of a prosperous community in which all the members pull together for the good of everybody. Despite all this, something happened and this peaceful universe disappeared. That is where the ontological cut comes into play: it refers to this moment when the world was corrupted and the history of man begins.
This moment is illustrated in the biblical Garden of Eden. There man experienced true and fulfilling happiness which gave him the possibility to connect with divinity and nature. This balance was destroyed by a vocation which is present in man: apparently the desire to know, to understand.
Ancient people had their own myths regarding the golden age of mankind. With all the trouble of the modern world, more and more people do not see the history of mankind as a story of evolution. Moreover, with the growing rejection of religion and superstitious thinking, the source of evil is no longer considered to be the devil or some other demonic creature. The root of all evil is placed and searched in society and culture. The primitive man was naive and innocent as opposed to the civilized man. Civilization perverted the "gentle savage".
This scientific theory seems to be a rational construction inspired by the reinterpretation of ancient myths. The majority of cultures illustrate a time when gods walked among people, a time safe from the effects of Kronos. In the Greek and Roman mythology we find the idea of a lost world. In the ancient Greek culture we have the idea of the metallic cycles.
Homer and Hesiod write about successive stages which mark the downward and upward road of man. In the beginning people were happy and lived like gods. Hesiod conceives the first seed of mortals as being the inhabitants of the Golden Olympus. They were never sad and did not know the concept of limit. After their disappearance, there came the second generation: the silver one. These were second-rated beings. The process of decay continued with every generation and soon man lost the meaning of justice and began to adore the God of war.
However, for the ancient Greeks the ontological cut was only part of the story. For them time is like a circle and will always repeat. Man has lost his peace, but he will regain it only to lose it again and so on. It is the expression of man's refusal to accept the irreversibility of the history of mankind. The stoics, for example, believed that at the end of a millennium a great universal fire will bring all things to an end, and from the ashes history will be reborn. Therefore, time is circular and will forever pas through the same places. Maybe this view of the universe was influenced by the reversibility of nature: the seasons that keep repeating themselves.
With all these myths surrounding it, is there any proof that Golden Age is true and existed? One can validate the truth by really going back to the roots and give it a serious check. One of the most convincing arguments is that the God of the Bible is the Only One prophesied from the start of mankind and His prophecies have and still are all fulfilling one by one. Christ Himself is the embodiment of God, He is also called "the second Adam" so we can all see in Christ how the perfect man looks like.
There are other historical, geographical, scientific and archeological proofs of Bible's accuracy. If what we can check is true, would God have lied about the way He brought us to life? Think and judge for yourself!
According to this, at the beginning man lived in harmony with nature. Although, in comparison with animals, the human being has a very vulnerable body, yet intelligence and the capacity to communicate transformed this creature into a real adversary. However, this early version of ourselves did not take from nature more than it needed, limiting itself to satisfying his basic needs. This healthy relationship did not apply only to man and nature, but also to man and his fellow brothers. It is the image of the "gentle savage" and of a prosperous community in which all the members pull together for the good of everybody. Despite all this, something happened and this peaceful universe disappeared. That is where the ontological cut comes into play: it refers to this moment when the world was corrupted and the history of man begins.
This moment is illustrated in the biblical Garden of Eden. There man experienced true and fulfilling happiness which gave him the possibility to connect with divinity and nature. This balance was destroyed by a vocation which is present in man: apparently the desire to know, to understand.
Ancient people had their own myths regarding the golden age of mankind. With all the trouble of the modern world, more and more people do not see the history of mankind as a story of evolution. Moreover, with the growing rejection of religion and superstitious thinking, the source of evil is no longer considered to be the devil or some other demonic creature. The root of all evil is placed and searched in society and culture. The primitive man was naive and innocent as opposed to the civilized man. Civilization perverted the "gentle savage".
This scientific theory seems to be a rational construction inspired by the reinterpretation of ancient myths. The majority of cultures illustrate a time when gods walked among people, a time safe from the effects of Kronos. In the Greek and Roman mythology we find the idea of a lost world. In the ancient Greek culture we have the idea of the metallic cycles.
Homer and Hesiod write about successive stages which mark the downward and upward road of man. In the beginning people were happy and lived like gods. Hesiod conceives the first seed of mortals as being the inhabitants of the Golden Olympus. They were never sad and did not know the concept of limit. After their disappearance, there came the second generation: the silver one. These were second-rated beings. The process of decay continued with every generation and soon man lost the meaning of justice and began to adore the God of war.
However, for the ancient Greeks the ontological cut was only part of the story. For them time is like a circle and will always repeat. Man has lost his peace, but he will regain it only to lose it again and so on. It is the expression of man's refusal to accept the irreversibility of the history of mankind. The stoics, for example, believed that at the end of a millennium a great universal fire will bring all things to an end, and from the ashes history will be reborn. Therefore, time is circular and will forever pas through the same places. Maybe this view of the universe was influenced by the reversibility of nature: the seasons that keep repeating themselves.
With all these myths surrounding it, is there any proof that Golden Age is true and existed? One can validate the truth by really going back to the roots and give it a serious check. One of the most convincing arguments is that the God of the Bible is the Only One prophesied from the start of mankind and His prophecies have and still are all fulfilling one by one. Christ Himself is the embodiment of God, He is also called "the second Adam" so we can all see in Christ how the perfect man looks like.
There are other historical, geographical, scientific and archeological proofs of Bible's accuracy. If what we can check is true, would God have lied about the way He brought us to life? Think and judge for yourself!
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