From the written rule
to an inner moral sense.

3 - The evolution of human communication :

A – The importance of laws in ensuring the cohesion of peoples :

        Let's retrace the evolution of the human psyche through the myths of the Middle East.
If we disregard all the beliefs that have relied on them to create legitimacy, these myths describe the lives of populations living in this region over 2,000 years ago. We discover the evolution of man in societies that had been enslaved and kept in ignorance.

    Only a leader who has been able to evolve within a privileged class can open the minds of a people.
Unfortunately, even the best advice is not always followed. And so it is that, even today, we can see peoples suffering at the whim of leaders devoid of empathy or compassion. These leaders, certain that they hold the truth, know nothing of the extraordinary world around them, and they instil in their people the certainty that only a leader with absolute power can ensure their future.
Is this human dysfunction inevitable ?

    We have seen how the brain organises the rational and unconscious functions, which contrasts them and also makes them complementary [cf : characteristics of the unconscious - in french].
We can find these same interrelationships in myths.
To do this, we're going to look at some of the myths that have become universal and that describe a cultural group's attempt to evolve, and the fluctuations in that evolution as a function of the presence or absence of a recognised authority.

    The Decalogue or the rule established as a model of behaviour :

    The ten words of the Old Testament (also known as the 10 Commandments) are recognised as recommendations from God [AN] who thus contributes to the construction and cohesion of a human group by forbidding any act that would infringe on the freedom and life of others.

    They are understood in the context of the Exodus of a people who attributed their liberation to the omnipotence of their god and who needed a guide to hear the word of this god. They indicate the conditions of a life that must be structured around a new ideal developed during a period of slavery.
The new-found freedom must be based on respect for others (not killing, not stealing) and respect for family law.

    While these rules impose necessary constraints, they are often difficult to put into practice for individuals who do not yet see themselves as members of the same community. The feeling of loving in complete freedom, capable of creating a strong relationship between people, has not yet been born.

It would be centuries before these ten words could be reduced to 2 requirements:
    - obedience to a loving God,
    - and love of neighbour.
If we follow the current of evolution, before the rules of collective living came into play, each person (human or animal) adapted individually to the circumstances. Perception of the environment is more important to survival than communication between individuals.


    When individuals form a group, immediate sensitive perception is supplanted by language to manage behaviour, organised without any emotional connotations.

    In describing the history of their evolution and their relationship with their god, Yahweh's people could only understand his power and directives by analogy with the reigning sovereign.


Book of Exodus 20, 1-18 - the rules essential to the cohesion of a group :



    Having escaped from slavery, people can now freely listen to and express their feelings and desires.
    However, for these former slaves to become a true community, a common language is not enough : rules of conduct will have to be established.








    Only an all-powerful leader can impose these rules. So the people put their trust in a god who was more powerful than all the previous ones, and to whom they attributed their newly acquired freedom.
To mark his authority, this god first tells his subjects that they are indebted to him for their new condition.






    Moreover, in order to reign, this leader cannot be challenged and must be unique. Individuals are not yet free to choose their own lives, and must conform to directives. We could say today that they have not yet reached the stage of democracy where a majority can influence the decisions of the authority in place.
    Over the course of evolution, living beings have had to give up some of their freedom in order to conform to an external authority capable of unifying individual behaviour. By controlling their impulses, individuals have reduced their freedom, but gained in strength.






    Having asserted himself as an unquestionable authority, and even before expressing the indispensable rules that ensure the cohesion of a community, this god immediately designates the rule from which no one can derogate : only reality must be considered. Imaginative representations are futile.
If man is to evolve coherently, only the reality perceived by the senses is important.

    In so doing, this god reveals another aspect of his personality : as the motor of evolution [cf : The evolution of languages], he cannot be frozen in immutable images.
Above all, he announces that he belongs to the world of sensitive perception, and that he can only be perceived through the reality of the world.

    By laying down essential rules, he anticipates the immaturity of a people who, in the absence of strong authority, could create false beliefs and descend into anarchy.
However, if he does express the laws of evolution [cf : moral sense], he expresses them through words, and he acts as a sovereign who imposes his directives.

    It was not until six centuries later that a new guide indicated, through parables and a real-life example, the conduct to be followed.






    The world that this god created is a living world. It was created to live in, not to worship its creator in a closed place.



    A people that has been united in slavery can burst forth in the free expression of individual desires. As the driving force behind evolution, this sovereign god here defines the conditions of life and his own place at the helm of a changing people.
This god is extremely human.

    First of all, he is not only jealous in the sense of being the victim of a pathological attachment to his people, his jealousy also marks his concern for everything that is contrary to justice. In fact, evolution selected sensibility before language as a means of communication, and this sensibility is enamoured of justice [cf : Moral judgement and equity]. Perfectly attuned to reality, it warns of impending dangers and precautions to be taken. Not listening to it can cause terrible and lasting suffering.

    Having seen the obligation to take account only of reality (living in the reality perceived by the senses and not in the imaginary is an absolute rule), we now discover the consequences of disobeying divine rules: children suffer the consequences of their parents' behaviour.
Today, psychological research shows that a child who has been mistreated can do the same to his or her own children, and the pattern can be reproduced down the generations.
This intergenerational transmission can also be seen at the level of nations: the absence of freedom and the refusal to recognise others is paid for by decades of conflict among colonising peoples.





    On the other hand, trusting and loving the way we feel about ourselves, others and the world around us naturally leads us to comply with directives that propose a world of peace.
We have seen that the exercise of a moral sense is a source of shared well-being.






    Comparing yourself to an all-powerful god and arrogating his powers to yourself also means that you have left your place in life. The one who directs and orders with words is not the one who feels. Driven by such pride, he exposes himself to a life of misfortune.
Only life, and Evolution which determines its course, have absolute power.


    If we look at other texts that say : « You shall not take my name abusively », we can consider that this injunction has the same meaning as the one that excludes images.
Once we have committed ourselves to the truth alone, we must assume our convictions by not hiding behind a recognised authority.
Today we know that it is the believer's own certainties that he lends to God.





    Once the absolute prohibitions have been laid down, the first piece of advice is not to forget the essential rest : it is necessary because it is the time when the body regenerates, and it is sacred because the senses, freed from all restraint, can finally awaken to life.






    Work remains essential. It means acting in accordance with the necessities of life (feeding oneself) and participating in the life of the group, which protects and advances knowledge through daily sharing.






    You need to know your limits, without forgetting the world around you.
Not only must you be aware of yourself and attentive to this world, but as soon as you are a member of a family and a community, you must listen to everyone.
    During this day dedicated to life, you must do nothing other than feel this living world into which you were born, and which offers you everything you need to live.





    Evolution was no different. It has worked for a long time, and has included pauses in all the transformations it has initiated.
These periods of rest, essential in the life cycle of nature, must be respected.

    Human beings are no longer solitary. By becoming a social being, they must adopt behaviours that are different from those inherited from individual instinct. People can only meet and communicate if they are all available at the same time.





    The past generation gave you life, just like the universe around you. It has also given you all the means to live happily in this world.
This passage complements Exodus 20:5: just as future generations are always affected by behaviour, an individual's state of mind influences his or her future : to honour means to act with respect.

This is followed by a set of rules for immature minds.





    As people explore their new-found freedom, they may not be aware of the responsibility they bear for every action they take, and they may ignore the respect they owe to the world and to their fellow human beings.





    In a world where a man's strength gives him power, respect for his partner is essential. Although she lacks physical strength, she has preserved her sensitivity and brings with her a different vision of the world.
She is the ‘second brain’ that can fill in the gaps left by the male brain when it comes to acting differently.






    After respect for others, respect for one's possessions is just as important. Stealing the property of a member of the community has a price : losing the trust of others, even making an enemy.
God does not threaten to punish ; the act alone carries consequencese.





    It is essential to respect the truth, which is inseparable from the recognition of reality [cf : reality and lies - in french].





    The constant desire for other people's possessions is an insidious poison that leads to permanent dissatisfaction. The mind is never at rest, whereas inner peace is permanent if we know how to be content with loving what we have.
    Today, this teaching could be extended to covetousness and the conquest of neighbouring territories, whereas respect for others alone generates trust, erases borders and encourages the sharing of wealth for the good of all.










B –Human evolution, its advances and regressions : (in french)


Bibliography :