Des gènes à la culture : introduction

Human thought participates in cosmic matter, which it extends. Bipedalism favored the use of tools, their conception and utilization, as a stimulant for the development of thinking. Fire acted as a weapon, both physically and metaphysically, against natural constraints. It was the symbol and attribute of such conquest, and humankind defied the gods. The forms created by the tools were extracted out of a void and then given to humanity to forge their destiny. The flexibility acquired by the preparation of flakes and by the use of hafts evidences the planning capacities and total autonomy achieved in the modes of existence. The first “machines”, such as the bow, gave the mind the conviction of absolute power, extending in distance and speed, the attribute of kings and gods. The ways of life combined between animals, nature and humans offer infinitely varied means of subsistence, autonomous from natural determinism, imposed by each component considered separately. The intimate relationship between human thought and animal behavior takes on the strength of a tradition, similarities between customs and genes require a reciprocal approach that is still in its infancy today.