Theosophy
GA 9
Chapter I: 1. The Corporeal Nature of Man
[ 1 ] We learn to know man's body through bodily senses, and the manner of observing it cannot differ from the way in which we learn to know other objects perceived by the senses. As we observe minerals, plants and animals, so can we also observe man. He is related to these three forms of existence. Like the minerals, he builds his body out of natural substances; like the plants, he grows and propagates his species; like the animals, he perceives the objects around him and builds up his inner experiences on the basis of the impressions they make on him. Thus, a mineral, a plant and an animal existence may be ascribed to man.
[ 2 ] The differences in structure of minerals, plants and animals correspond with the three forms of their existence. It is this structure—the shape—that is perceived through the senses, and that alone can be called body. Now the human body is different from that of the animal. This difference must be recognized, whatever may otherwise be thought of the relationship of man to animals. Even the most extreme materialist who denies all soul cannot but admit the truth of this passage uttered by Carus in his Oragnon der Natur und des Geistes. “The finer, inner construction of the nervous system and especially of the brain remains still an unsolved problem for the physiologist and the anatomist. That this concentration of structures ever increases in the animal kingdom and reaches in man a stage unequalled in any other being is a fully established fact—a fact that is of the deepest significance in regard to the mental evolution of man. Indeed, we may go so far as to say it is really a sufficient explanation of that evolution. Where, therefore, the structure of the brain has not developed properly, where its smallness and poverty are in evidence as in the case of microcephali and idiots, it goes without saying that we can no more expect the appearance of original ideas and of knowledge than we can expect the propagation of the species from persons with completely stunted reproductive organs. On the other hand, a strong and beautifully developed build of the whole man, and especially of the brain, will certainly not in itself take the place of genius but it will at any rate supply the first and indispensable condition for higher knowledge.”
[ 3 ] Just as one ascribes to the human body the three forms of existence, mineral, plant and animal, so one must ascribe to it a fourth—the distinctively human form. Through his mineral existence man is related to everything visible; through his plantlike existence to all beings that grow and propagate their species; through his animal existence to all those that perceive their surroundings and by means of external impressions have inner experiences; through his human form of existence he constitutes, even in regard to his body alone, a kingdom by himself.
I. Die leibliche Wesenheit des Menschen
[ 1 ] Durch leibliche Sinne lernt man den Leib des Menschen kennen. Und die Betrachtungsart kann dabei keine andere sein als diejenige, durch welche man andere sinnlich wahrnehmbare Dinge kennen lernt. Wie man die Mineralien, die Pflanzen, die Tiere betrachtet, so kann man auch den Menschen betrachten. Er ist mit diesen drei Formen des Daseins verwandt. Gleich den Mineralien baut er seinen Leib aus dem Stoffen der Natur auf; gleich den Pflanzen wächst er und pflanzt sich fort; gleich den Tieren nimmt er die Gegenstände um sich herum wahr und bildet auf Grund ihrer Eindrücke in sich innere Erlebnisse. Ein mineralisches, ein pflanzliches und ein tierisches Dasein darf man daher dem Menschen zusprechen.
[ 2 ] Die Verschiedenheit im Bau der Mineralien, Pflanzen und Tiere entspricht den drei Formen ihres Daseins. Und dieser Bau — die Gestalt — ist es, was man mit den Sinnen wahrnimmt und was man allein Leib nennen kann. Nun ist aber der menschliche Leib von dem tierischen verschieden. Diese Verschiedenheit muss jedermann anerkennen, wie er auch über die Verwandtschaft des Menschen mit den Tieren sonst denken mag. Selbst der radikalste Materialist, der alles Seelische leugnet, wird nicht umhin können, den folgenden Satz zu unterschreiben, den Carus in seinem «Organon der Erkenntnis der Natur und des Geistes» ausspricht: «Noch immer bleibt zwar der feinere innerlichste Bau des Nervensystems und namentlich des Hirns dem Physiologen und Anatomen ein unaufgelöstes Rätsel; aber dass jene Konzentration der Gebilde mehr und mehr in der Tierreihe steigt und im Menschen einen Grad erreicht, wie durchaus in keinem anderen Wesen, dies ist eine vollkommen festgestellte Tatsache; es ist für die Geistesentwicklung des Menschen von höchster Bedeutung, ja wir dürfen es geradezu aussprechen, eigentlich schon die hinreichende Erklärung. Wo der Bau des Hirns daher nicht gehörig sich entwickelt hat, wo Kleinheit und Dürftigkeit desselben, wie beim Mikrozephalen und Idioten, sich verraten, da versteht es sich von selbst, dass vorn Hervortreten eigentümlicher Ideen und vom Erkennen gerade so wenig die Rede sein kann wie in Menschen mit völlig verbildeten Generationsorganen von Fortbildung der Gattung. Ein kräftig und schön entwickelter Bau des ganzen Menschen dagegen und des Gehirns insbesondere wird zwar noch nicht allein den Genius setzen, aber doch jedenfalls die erste unerlässlichste Bedingung für höhere Erkenntnis gewähren.»
[ 3 ] Wie man dem menschlichen Leib die drei Formen des Daseins, die mineralische, die pflanzliche und die tierische, zuspricht, so muss man ihm noch eine vierte, die besondere menschliche, zusprechen. Durch seine mineralische Daseinsform ist der Mensch verwandt mit allem Sichtbaren, durch seine pflanzliche mit allen Wesen, die wachsen und sich fortpflanzen; durch seine tierische mit allen, die ihre Umgebung wahrnehmen und auf Grund äußerer Eindrücke innere Erlebnisse haben; durch seine menschliche bildet er schon in leiblicher Beziehung ein Reich für sich.
I. The bodily essence of man
[ 1 ] Through bodily senses one gets to know the body of man. And the method of observation can be no other than that through which one gets to know other sensually perceptible things. Just as we look at minerals, plants and animals, we can also look at the human being. He is related to these three forms of existence. Like the minerals, he builds his body from the substances of nature; like the plants, he grows and reproduces; like the animals, he perceives the objects around him and forms inner experiences on the basis of their impressions. A mineral, a vegetable and an animal existence can therefore be attributed to man.
[ 2 ] The difference in the structure of minerals, plants and animals corresponds to the three forms of their existence. And this structure - the form - is what we perceive with our senses and what alone we can call the body. But the human body is different from the animal body. Everyone must recognize this difference, however he may think about the relationship between man and animals. Even the most radical materialist, who denies everything spiritual, will not be able to avoid subscribing to the following sentence, which Carus utters in his Organon of the Knowledge of Nature and the Spirit: “It is true that the finer inmost structure of the nervous system, and especially of the brain, still remains an unsolved mystery to the physiologist and anatomist; but that that concentration of formations increases more and more in the animal series, and reaches a degree in man such as is by no means found in any other being, this is a perfectly established fact; it is of the highest importance for the mental development of man, indeed we may almost pronounce it, actually already the sufficient explanation. Where, therefore, the structure of the brain has not developed properly, where its smallness and paucity betray themselves, as in the microcephalic and the idiot, it is self-evident that there can be as little talk of the emergence of peculiar ideas and of cognition as there can be of the further development of the species in people with completely developed generative organs. A strong and beautifully developed structure of the whole human being, on the other hand, and of the brain in particular, will not yet provide the genius alone, but will in any case ensure the first indispensable condition for higher knowledge.”
[ 3 ] Just as the human body is attributed the three forms of existence, the mineral, the vegetable and the animal, it must also be attributed a fourth, the special human form. Through his mineral form of existence, man is related to everything visible, through his vegetable form to all beings that grow and reproduce; through his animal form to all those who perceive their surroundings and have inner experiences on the basis of external impressions; through his human form he forms a realm of his own in bodily terms.