Man Is Not a Beast

Man is Not a Beast By Elmer G. Peterson, A. M., Ph. D., President Utah Agricultural College The great Polish engineer, Alfred Korzybski, makes a profound contribution to the thought of the world in his book, just off the press, entitled The Manhood of Humanity. His contribution is pronounced by Professor Keyser, of Colum- bia, the most important announcement since the "discovery" of the law of gravity, by Newton. There are many new and most impressive thoughts in the book that entitle it to be read by the leaders throughout the world. I think it bids fair to dominate the thinking of the world as completely, and replacing it, in my mind, in part, as the thought of evolution has influenced the thought and education of the world for the past twenty years or more. This engineer, who served during the world war in the Polish army, came away evidently from the pitiful struggle feeling that the world's philosophy was wrong in its concep- tion of man. He attempts to answer the question, "What is Man?" Is he an animal, as the world has too long thought, subject to the laws of the beast, the survival of the fittest, the law of claw and fang; in business, is he subject properly to the law of competition (which the world for many decades has thought was the "life of trade") ; are nations to exist or fall by virtue of this animal law of crushing those who oppose them, as was the thought of Germany and is now pathetically the thought of much of Europe? Or, is man subject to a higher law? Instead of being properly subject to the law of the survival of the fittest, as are worms and insects, is he not to be judged by a different law? Is not his "survival" de- pendent upon a higher law? Instead of competition in men's affairs being the life of trade is it not ultimately the death of trade? Is not co-operation the life of trade among men? Instead of a nation being under obligation in its own interest to crush those who oppose it, is not its interest best served by refusing to crush? Was not Germany, in attempting to crush its competitors, applying animal law and thought to the affairs of men? And was not the philosophy, or "religious" thought, of Germany, that is, the thought of animal survival, the very thing which caused destruction? Portions of Europe now are proceeding, it appears, on the basis of this animal

MAN IS NOT A BEAST 245 law, to crush their neighbors. Are they not, because they are applying the law of animals to men, inviting the same destruc- tion, the same failure, that would come if we treat a poison as if it were a food. If we think a poison is a food, we act ac- cordingly and suffer the consequences of violating the laws under which we should live, which are not the laws under which animals should live. The spiritually bankrupting thought that we are brother to the beast has too long obsessed the mind of the world. With it dominating us, we have conceived of man as only an ad- vance over the monkey and have thought that he should be treated as we treat monkeys. It cannot be over emphasized that, as we think we are, so in large measure do we act in regard to ourselves. Our thought dictates what we do. When we thought communicable disease was due to an evil spirit, push- ing into our bodies a something we called disease, consumption, leprosy, or even the more horrible infections, we did not rightly understand how to ward off disease. When we discovered that communicable disease is caused by a "germ" which goes from hand to hand, or mouth to mouth, or unclean cup to mouth, or filthy towel to hands and mouth, and in other such ways by con- tact, then we know how to act. We cleansed our hands with soap and water, washing off the germs; we isolated those who had the worst infections; we put tiling and other smooth surfaces on our floors, so that they could be easily kept clean; we kept our towels clean; and so with a thousand other things. What we knew, showed us what to do. When men thought that electricity was the manifestation of an evil spirit, they avoided its flashes and other manifesta- tions as of an evil spirit. When we found that it was a great natural force we learned how to utilize it; and now it lights our homes, turns our grinders and washers, warms our rooms, and runs our trains. So what we think and know dictates what we do. If man thinks he is an animal, he will treat himself and all his fellows as animals. Korzybski says that man differs from the animal as com- pletely as a plane differs from a line, or a cube differs from a plane. A cube is made up of planes, and has planes in it, but it is not a plane. Man differs as I have said from the animal as food differs from poison. Each is subject to dif- ferent laws; and confusing them leads to destruction. A plane, students of geometry know, has some of the elements of a line, and yet it is not a line. We cannot say that a plane is so many inches long. To do so would be meaningless, and would not describe it. No more would a farmer say that he would sell

246 IMPROVEMENT ERA or buy so many inches or feet of land. He would say acres or square feet or square yards. His farm is a plane as his fence is a line; he cannot speak of one as if it were the other. We cannot say that there are so many square inches in a cube. To do so would be futile. Neither can we say that a bin con- tains so many inches. We are confusing dimensions when we do this. We say a bin contains so many bushels or cubic feet and a line so many inches. In other words these are different dimensions, the line, the plane, and the cube, and each is subject to different rules of measurement and other laws. Neither can we say that man is an animal. When we apply animal laws to man we are as much in error as if we said a farm contained so many inches or a fence was so many acres in length. And yet the world has been calling man an animal for decades and centuries, and in consequence applying animal laws to him, and the result, due in part to this false conception, is war, treachery, personal combat, selfishness, poverty, much preventable disease, strikes, lockouts, sex per- version, destruction of property, murder, and all the catalogue of animal acts. Man, Korzhyski says, is not an animal, because he "binds time" as well as "binds space," and is a maker or "binder of energy." Plants build or "bind" energy. From the sun, air and soil, they, growing from the tiny seed, manufacture tissue, as in beets and corn, which contains energy such as food and heat. Animals do this also, but they in addition "bind space," that is, they move around and take their food, air and light from many places, which plants cannot do. Man not only makes energy as do plants, and "binds space" as do animals (that is, moves around and gathers his food, air, light, etc.), but he also "binds time." That is, he is the inheritor of all the ages; he carries over thought and wealth from generation to genera- tion. So invention, and our religious ideas, our manufactur- ing, and our railroads and other industries, we get in large part from the past. This is "time binding." No other form of life except man can do this. This makes him different from animals as a cube differs from a plane, and a plane from a line, and as a farm differs from a fence. Animals do not progress. It is doubtful if, over all recorded time, any species of animal or its process of living has improved sufficiently for the improvement to be detected. Man is separate, therefore, from all other creations, and we must subject him to other laws. It is as illogical for him to fight his neighbor as it is to say that a fence contains so many acres, or that carbolic acid is food. When he fights his neighbor man is acting as if he were an animal. When na-

MAN IS NOT A BEAST 247 tions war against one another they are acting as if they were composed of animals, when they are not. So when we did not know what electricity was, we did not know how to act in the presence of lightning or electricity. Now when we know more, at least, what the laws of electricity are (although we do not know what electricity is), we know how to act in regard to electricity. As this idea grows that man is not an animal we will learn how to treat man. This thought will enter into our capital and labor methods, our international relations, our family relations, our relations with our neighbors, and into the religious thought of the world. The thought is a great step forward. I have attempted in the foregoing only in part to explain the ideas of the author of the book. It should be said, also, that the author bases all his ideas upon purely intellectual processes. Whatever deductions of a "spiritual" nature are made in this article are mine and not his. To compare this new philosophy, which I think is part of the truth, with the complete truth of "Eternal Progression," is too extensive an idea to include here. Especially important is this: from a great engineer, recognized by the scientists of the world, has come a refutation of the vicious thought that man is a beast. The blessing which this new idea will be to religious thought, to education, and in the world's politics, cannot be fullv conceived at this time. Everyone will think nearer the truth. Korzvbski says that civilization invites ruin because it does not know "what man is." To know what man is fully, we must know who God is. The idea of the Fatherhood of God, in terms that are humanly conceivable and within rea- son, is coming closer to the mind and conscience of man. We are on the eve of great and momentous things in the affairs of men. The truth, as it was revealed to Joseph Smith, is being approached nearer and nearer as the world advances in sound- ness of thought. Logan, Utah Morning Morning! Morning! The beginning of the way That shall lead my feet I know not where. Ere the close of day. Morning, filled with prophecy Of things mine eyes shall see: Tis morning brings transcendent thoughts, Of life, love. God, to me. Grace Ingles Frost.