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What Makes Us Human?
Connecting Carl Jung, Evolution, and Stoicism
For Carl Jung, consciousness is what makes us human. And what is consciousness? Yet another very difficult question to answer!
Consciousness is our awareness of our own vulnerability. Or, in Carl Jung colours, consciousness is our awareness of our capacity for good and evil, as well as our awareness that we can suffer and die.
Adam and Eve’s Consciousness
In Genesis, there’s an interesting scene when Adam and Eve first become conscious. They were naked, of course, as all animals are, but when God granted them consciousness, the first thing they felt was an embarrassment because they recognized their own vulnerability.
A dog isn’t concerned about you seeing his sex organs. Nor a cat, nor a hamster. This was, in many ways, the start of culture, because they immediately covered up with leaves. That is clothing, which is a part of culture. And culture is what the Taoists would call Order. Order is what protects us despite our vulnerabilities.
