The Everlasting Man · Chapter
Appendix I: On Prehistoric Man explained
Chesterton defends his method of using first impressions and innocence to interpret prehistoric art, arguing that the existence of such pictures reveals a fundamental human uniqueness.
What happens
Chesterton defends his method of using first impressions and innocence to interpret prehistoric art, arguing that the existence of such pictures reveals a fundamental human uniqueness. He critiques evolutionary assumptions by noting that early humans already practiced religious burials, and he highlights the absurdity of dismissing a Cro-Magnon skull that is larger than modern ones.
Themes in this chapter
Human Uniqueness and Dignity
Chesterton emphasizes that prehistoric burial practices and art point to a uniquely human capacity for mystery and hope, not found in animals.
Critique of Rationalism and Materialism
He critiques the evolutionary bias that expects prehistoric humans to be inferior, using the example of a larger Cro-Magnon skull being dismissed.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator reflects on his own method and ignorance in discussing prehistoric man.
Key passages
“The notion, noted in these pages, of something necessarily slow or late in the development of religion will gain little indeed from these later revelations about the precursors of the reindeer picture-maker.”
The idea that religion developed slowly is not supported by evidence that earlier humans already had religious practices.
Chesterton argues that prehistoric religion was not a late development.
“It is little use to compare the head of the man with the head of the monkey, if it certainly has never come into the head of the monkey to bury another monkey with nuts in his grave to help him towards a heavenly monkey-house.”
Comparing human and monkey skulls is pointless because no monkey has ever performed a burial with grave goods for an afterlife.
He highlights the qualitative difference between humans and animals.