Theosophy
GA 9
I-1. The Corporeal Being of Man
[ 1 ] We learn to know the body of man through bodily senses. And the way of observing it can differ in no way from that by which we learn to know other objects perceived by the senses. As we observe minerals, plants, animals, so can we observe man also. He is related to these three forms of existence. Like the minerals he builds his body out of the materials of Nature; 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. We may therefore ascribe to man a mineral, a plant, and an animal existence.
[ 2 ] The difference in structure of minerals, plants and animals corresponds to the three forms of their existence. And it is this structure—the shape—which we perceive through the senses, and which alone we can call body. Now the human body is different from that of the animal. This difference everybody must recognise, whatever he may think in other respects regarding the relationship of man to animals. Even the most thorough-going materialist, who denies all soul, cannot but admit the truth of the following sentence which Carus utters in his Organon der Natur und des Geistes: “The finer, inner construction of the nervous system, and especially of the brain, still remains an unsolved problem for the physiologist and the anatomist; but that this concentration of the structures increases more and more in the animal, and in man reaches a stage unequalled in any other being, is a fully established fact; a fact which is of the deepest significance in regard to the mental evolution of man, of which, indeed, we may go so far as to say it is really in itself a sufficient explanation. Where, therefore, the structure of the brain has not developed properly, where smallness and poverty are revealed as in the case of microcephali and idiots, it goes without saying that we can as little expect the appearance of original ideas and of knowledge, as one can expect propagation of the species from persons with completely stunted organs of generation. 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 we ascribe to the human body the three forms of existence, mineral, plant, animal, so we must ascribe to it a fourth, the distinctively human form. Through his mineral existence man is related to everything visible; through his plant-like 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.