Were Neanderthals Rational? A Stoic Approach

Abstract

This paper adopts the philosophical approach of Stoicism as the basis for reexamining the cognitive and ethical relationship between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Stoicism sets out a clear criterion for the special moral status of human beings, namely rationality. We explore to what extent Neanderthals were sufficiently rational to be considered "human". Recent findings in the fields of palaeoanthropology and palaeogenetics show that Neanderthals possessed high-level cognitive abilities and produced viable offspring with anatomically modern humans. Our discussion offers insights for reflecting on the relationship between humans and other forms of natural life and any moral obligations that result.

Education for the Sustainable Global Citizen: What Can We Learn from Stoic Philosophy and Freirean Environmental Pedagogies?

“…Thus, Stoic philosophers, perhaps optimistically, believed that any divergence from the neurotypical adult's desire or inclination to progress towards virtue (and thus eudaimonia) was a corruption of one's human nature and capacity to act rationally. For Stoics, a perfectly rational (and, therefore, virtuous) response would always be consistent with their inherent moral obligation, determined by the concepts of cosmopolitanism and the circles of concern [33].…”

“…In Gadotti's view [12,13,70], Earth is "a living super-organism in evolution", hence the need for spheres of citizenship to extend to the planetary level. This view of the Earth is not too dissimilar from the Stoic pantheistic concept of the cosmos as a "rationally ordered living being" [71] in which Nature exercises providential care for all non-human Earthlings, e.g., the oceans, air, plants and animals [30,33], as well as for humans (Cicero, On the Nature of the Gods 2.83, 100-1, 122-30, Long and Sedley [34], 54J). Even without such teleological aspects, among Stoics and Freireans alike, recognition of extended shared kinship creates a sense of solidarity and responsibility that rationalises the enactment of socio-environmental justice.…”

“…This, in turn, requires an active care for the world and for those with whom we share it [93]. While the notion of education for global citizenship is a seemingly recent idea, Hierocles' conceptualisation of the "circles of concern" shows that there has long been a strong Stoic conviction that we all belong to, and must participate in, a cosmopolitan society [33,94]. This conviction is built upon the precept that equality among humans is natural and desirable [95].…”

The Environmental Battle Hymn of the Stoic God

“…Earth itself has no intrinsic value either and, although deservedly worthy of moral consideration, is by no means 'special' or 'sacred.' In Stoicism, it is the ability to reason, which is seen as the defining characteristic that sets humans (including Neanderthals, see Whiting, Konstantakos, Sadler et al 2018) apart from the rest of the animal and plant kingdom. It is therefore logos (reason) that Stoics value beyond all else.…”

Stoic Theology: Revealing or Redundant?

“…Indeed, one of the biggest factors that separate humans from other animals is cumulative culture. The latter describes our unique ability to take advantage of the scientific knowledge and philosophical ideas that are only made possible by our ability to understand and make use of the imparted knowledge and artefacts of others (Caldwell and Millen 2008;Whiting et al 2018c). It explains why social structures and values evolve for humankind while for other animals they do not.…”