The Everlasting Man

1. Man is Unique: A Revolution, Not Just Evolution

Man is not merely an evolution but rather a revolution.

A distinct break. Unlike the gradual changes seen in nature, the appearance of man represents a sharp, unique transition. While sharing physical patterns with animals, man possesses reason, will, and creative abilities that set him apart in kind, not just degree. This leap across an "abyss of the unthinkable" is more like a sudden event than a slow development.

Art is man's signature. Evidence like prehistoric cave paintings shows that even the earliest known men were artists, capable of representation and imagination. This ability to create symbolic forms is found nowhere else in nature; animals do not draw, regardless of their intelligence or evolutionary stage. This fundamental difference highlights man's unique status as a creator as well as a creature.

A stranger on Earth. Man's distinctiveness is seen in his need for clothes, furniture, and his unique capacity for laughter and shame. He cannot simply rely on instinct like other animals. This suggests he is not merely a natural product but something extraordinary, almost alien, standing alone against the background of nature.

2. Prehistoric Man Was Human: Rejecting Hasty Scientific Guesses

The history of prehistoric man is a very obvious contradiction in terms.

Limited evidence. Science struggles with prehistory because it lacks experimental data and relies on scarce fragments (bones, stones). This leads to hasty hypotheses and complex portraits (like Pithecanthropus) built on minimal evidence, often reflecting modern biases rather than ancient reality. We know little for certain about prehistoric life.

Civilization is ancient. What little evidence exists suggests that humanity was civilized long before written records. Primitive arts were indeed arts, and early societies were likely complex, possibly even democratic, contradicting theories of universal early despotism or communism. Modern savages are not identical to primitive man; they have their own history and potential decline.

Religion's deep roots. The idea that religion evolved slowly from disconnected elements (fear of chiefs, dreams, harvest) is flawed. These elements only appear mystical or sacred through an already existing religious feeling. Animals experience dreams and seasons but don't develop religion, indicating that the capacity for religious thought is unique to the human mind from its earliest stages.

3. Ancient Civilizations Were Complex: Not Simple Barbaric Origins

The dawn of history reveals a humanity already civilized.

Civilization and barbarism coexisted. Early historical records, particularly from Egypt and Babylon, show complex, organized societies at the very beginning of recorded time. This contradicts the notion of a linear progression where all humanity passed through simple nomadic or barbaric stages before becoming civilized. Static and wandering cultures existed side-by-side.

Despotism grew with civilization. The idea that primitive government was necessarily a brutal despotism (like the "Old Man" theory) is challenged by history. Egypt, for instance, shows a movement towards greater centralization and despotism as civilization became more complex, not less. Absolute sovereignty often appears as a later development, even an end, for societies that may have begun more democratically.

The family as a foundation. The family unit appears as a fundamental, possibly primary, social structure, predating and surviving various anarchies or dissolutions. It is the source of core human values like dignity, decency, and property, providing a standard by which to judge the state. This domestic sanctity is a recurring theme in early human history.

4. Paganism: A World of God, Gods, Demons, and Philosophers

This thing is Paganism, and I propose to show in these pages that it is the one real rival to the Church of Christ.

Beyond simple comparison. Classifying diverse figures like Christ, Buddha, and Confucius together as "religious founders" is misleading. These figures and the systems associated with them are fundamentally different in nature (e.g., Confucianism as civilization vs. Christianity as religion). A more useful classification of pre-Christian spiritual elements is: God, the Gods, the Demons, and the Philosophers.

Original monotheism. Evidence suggests that the simple, overwhelming idea of one God may have been the original religious concept, later degenerating into polytheism and demon worship. Primitive tribes often show pure monotheism, and pagan mythologies hint at a higher, more ancient power above the multitude of gods. This primary idea was often forgotten or avoided, but rarely evolved from simpler elements.

The unique role of Israel. While paganism pooled diverse cults (syncretism), leading to a confusion of gods, the Jews preserved the idea of a single, jealous God. This "narrowness" was essential for maintaining the primary monotheistic truth against the syncretic tendencies of the pagan world. The Jewish tradition, though often isolated, held the key to a universal truth.

5. Mythology: Imaginative Day-Dreams, Not Rational Creeds

Mythology is a search.

Art, not science. Mythology represents "the Gods" as imaginative creations, like day-dreams or travellers' tales. They are works of art, not scientific statements or rational theology. Analyzing myths scientifically (e.g., as solar myths or totemism) misses their artistic and symbolic nature, which appeals to deep, often subconscious, human instincts and emotions.

Local and varied. Myths are often tied to specific places or natural features, reflecting a desire to find personality and story in the world. They vary greatly in sincerity and seriousness, ranging from playful fancies to darker, more compelling narratives. However, they lack the structure and conviction of a creed; people did not profess belief in a pantheon with the same certainty as a religious dogma.

A search for the divine. Mythology is a search for the divine through imagination and beauty (even grotesque beauty). It hints at transcendental truths and the mystery of existence, often focusing on themes of death, rebirth, and sacrifice. But it remains a search, a recurrent desire mixed with doubt, never fully satisfying the human need for a concrete, real divinity.

6. Demons and Philosophers: Darker Cults and Abstract Reason

He despised the myths, but he also despised the mob; and thought they suited each other.

Superstition's dark side. Beyond the imaginative realm of mythology lies a darker, more practical superstition focused on obtaining results, often through invoking "Demons." This can lead to perverse practices like cannibalism or human sacrifice, seen in highly civilized cultures like Carthage and the Aztecs, who sought power by acting against nature and human instinct.

Reason's detachment. "Philosophers" represent the pursuit of truth through reason, often detached from popular religion and mythology. Figures like Plato and Aristotle sought abstract understanding, but their philosophies rarely clashed directly with popular cults, partly due to a certain intellectual distance or even disdain for the masses. Philosophy was a private pursuit, not a public religion.

Royal philosophers' limits. Some rulers (Akhenaten, Marcus Aurelius, Buddha) embodied the philosopher-king ideal, attempting to impose rational or mystical systems. While noble (like Buddha's renunciation), these efforts often failed to satisfy the deeper human need for a personal, concrete divinity, or were too abstract to replace popular myths. Eastern philosophy, in particular, often leads to ideas of recurrence or nothingness, lacking the Western focus on distinct reality and ethical choice.

7. Rome vs. Carthage: A Spiritual War for Human Sanity

The materialist theory of history, that all politics and ethics are the expression of economics, is a very simple fallacy indeed.

Beyond economics. Human history is driven by fundamental outlooks on life, death, loyalty, and identity, not merely economic necessity. Men fight and die for abstract concepts like home or against perceived alien threats, not for material gain. This psychological reality is crucial for understanding historical conflicts.

A clash of paganisms. The Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage were not just a commercial rivalry but a spiritual struggle. Rome represented a more domestic, human-centered paganism rooted in family and local gods. Carthage embodied a darker, more practical paganism focused on power and fear, culminating in the worship of Moloch and human sacrifice.

Sanity's victory. Rome's eventual victory, despite immense suffering and near-defeat, was a triumph for human sanity against inhumanity. Carthage's fall was due to its materialistic philosophy, which failed to understand the moral strength and enduring hope of the Romans. This struggle ensured that the foundation of future European civilization was laid by a paganism that, while flawed, was fundamentally human rather than demonic.

8. The Decay of Paganism: Stale Myths and Weary Philosophy

Pessimism is not in being tired of evil but in being tired of good.

Failure of the best. Paganism declined not because it was inherently weak, but because its strengths began to fail. The rustic myths and local gods lost their vitality, becoming stale conventions. Philosophy became repetitive and detached, degenerating into sophistry and occultism. The cosmopolitan Roman Empire, pooling diverse cults, lacked a unifying conviction.

Loss of vitality. As society grew weary of its imaginative "pretending" and its abstract philosophical systems, it sought stimulation in perversion and darker practices. The peasant culture faded, replaced by an urban mob dependent on doles and spectacles. This spiritual exhaustion led to a sense of impotence and despair, making even atheism seem plausible as the world's best creations appeared to be collapsing.

An age of waiting. The Roman Empire, despite its external strength, was inwardly decaying, having reached the limits of human achievement without divine aid. It was a world ripe for something new, yet trapped in recurrence and weariness. The stage was set for a challenge to this universal stagnation, a force capable of breaking the cycle of decay.

9. Christ's Birth in the Cave: A Revolution from Below

God also was a Cave-Man, and had also traced strange shapes of creatures, curiously coloured, upon the wall of the world; but the pictures that he made had come to life.

A new creation. The birth of Christ in a cave
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Last updated: May 2, 2025