The Drama of Love and Death: A Study of Human Evolution and Transfiguration — John Shaqi
The Drama of Love and Death: A Study of Human Evolution and TransfigurationCarpenter, Edward
Philosophy
The Drama of Love and Death: A Study of Human Evolution and Transfiguration
Carpenter, Edward
Death; Love; Personality
So far there seems to be but little differentiation between Hunger and
Love. Love is only a special hunger which leads cells to obtain
nourishment from other cells of the same species; and generation or
reproduction in these early stages, being an inevitable accompaniment of
growth, follows on the satisfaction of love just as it follows on the
satisfaction of hunger. Rolph’s words on the relation of these two
impulses (quoted by Geddes and Thompson) are very suggestive. He
says:—“Conjugation occurs when nutrition is diminished.... It is a
necessity for satisfaction, a growing hunger, which drives the animal to
engulf its neighbor, to ‘isophagy.’ The process of conjugation is only a
special form of nutrition, which occurs on a reduction of the nutritive
income, or an increase of the nutritive needs.”
And so far there is no distinction of sex. It is true there may be sex
in the sense of union or fusion between two individuals; but there is no
distinction of sex, in the sense of male and female. In the Protozoa
generally there is simple union or conjugation between cells, which, as
far as can be observed, are quite similar to each other. It is a union
between similars; and it leads to growth and reproduction. But both
union and reproduction at this early stage exist quite independently of
any distinctive sex-action, or any differentiation of individuals into
male and female.
At a later period, however, Sex comes in. It is obvious that for growth
(and reproduction) two things are necessary, which are in some degree
antagonistic to each other—on the one hand the pursuit and capture of
food, which means _activity_ and force, and on the other hand the
digestion and assimilation of the food, which means _quiescence_ and
passivity. And it seems that at a certain stage—in general, when
“animals” have already been formed by the conjunction of many protozoic
cells in co-operative colonies—this differentiation sets in, and some
individuals specialize towards activity and the chase, while others (of
the same species) specialize towards repose and assimilation. The two
sets of qualities are clearly only useful in combination with each
other, and yet, as I have said, they are to some degree contrary to each
other; and therefore it is quite natural that the two corresponding
groups of individuals should form two great branches in each race,
diverse yet united.
These two branches are the male and female—the active, energy-spending,
hungry, food-obtaining branch; and the sessile, non-active, assimilative
and reproductive branch. And by the division of labor consequent on the
formation of these two branches the whole race is benefited; but only of
course on condition that the diverse elements are reunited from time to
time. It is in the fusion of these elements that the real quality and
character of the race is restored; and it is by their fusion that
development and reproduction are secured.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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