In recent years, books have been published attempting to explain human origins, with readers turning to works by prominent authors such as Stephen Pinker and Yuval Noah Harari. However, historian Stephanos Girolanos presents a different view in his book 'the invention of prehistory', highlighting how the concept of prehistory is a cognitive invention used to justify colonialism and violence.
The book begins with an investigative journey dating back to the mid-18th century, where the European mind began to shed traditional religious narratives about creation. During this period, Europeans encountered new peoples in the Americas and Africa who were not mentioned in sacred texts, raising existential questions about the origins of these humans. From here, the idea of 'the state of nature' was born.
Event Details
Girolanos examines how philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau created fictional conceptions of the first human to support their political theories. In Hobbes' vision, the first human lived in a perpetual state of conflict, justifying the need for authoritarian power. Meanwhile, Rousseau invented the myth of the 'noble savage' who was corrupted by civilization.
These conceptions went beyond theoretical debates, becoming tools of colonialism. Indigenous peoples were classified as 'humans living in a state of nature', granting the white man the status of the 'civilized' rational human, and making colonialism a mission to civilize these 'children'.
Background & Context
As the 19th century began, the obsession with prehistory shifted to the fields of geology and biology. The discovery of rock layers and fossils, and the emergence of Darwin's theory of evolution, solidified the concept of 'deep time', expanding humanity's age from thousands to millions of years. However, this scientific discovery soon fell prey to racial hierarchies.
Girolanos describes how anthropological efforts combined with fossil discoveries to solidify the idea that humanity is undergoing inevitable stages of development, with indigenous peoples in colonies portrayed as living fossils. The slogan 'survival of the fittest' was used to justify imperial violence, making the disappearance of 'lower races' under the onslaught of Western technology seem like a natural law.
Impact & Consequences
The book also explores the 'Neanderthal man', tracing Girolanos' changes in its image over the decades to meet political agendas. Initially, it was portrayed as a dumb brute, but today its features are redrawn with European characteristics, making it a symbol of 'original white stock' for some far-right groups.
The book highlights the concept of 'the thin crust of civilization', where it is claimed that modern humans still carry the 'savage' within. This thinking was used to justify the brutality of wars, with violence seen as a return to humanity's 'true' nature.
Regional Significance
Girolanos delivers a scathing critique of modern culture, attacking the phenomenon of 'the big history' represented by Yuval Noah Harari. He sees these authors as practicing a form of 'scientific storytelling', killing political action and using 'science of origins' as a tool to legitimize existing conditions.
The book concludes with a call for radical humility in the face of the mystery of beginnings, pointing out that fossil fragments and cave paintings have no language of their own, but we give them voices to speak what we want to hear. 'The invention of prehistory' is a comprehensive moral review of the Western intellectual trajectory, urging us to build our values from our human aspirations.