◄ Paper 68
  Part 3 ▲
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Paper 69

Primitive Human Institutions

Basic Human Institutions  •  The Dawn of Industry  •  The Specialization of Labor  •  The Beginnings of Trade  •  The Beginnings of Capital  •  Fire in Relation to Civilization  •  The Utilization of Animals  •  Slavery as a Factor in Civilization  •  Private Property

EMOTIONALLY, man transcends his animal ancestors in his ability to appreciate humor, art, and religion. Socially, man exhibits his superiority in that he is a toolmaker, a communicator, and an institution builder.

69:0.2

When human beings long maintain social groups, such aggregations always result in the creation of certain activity trends which culminate in institutionalization. Most of man’s institutions have proved to be laborsaving while at the same time contributing something to the enhancement of group security.

69:0.3

Civilized man takes great pride in the character, stability, and continuity of his established institutions, but all human institutions are merely the accumulated mores of the past as they have been conserved by taboos and dignified by religion. Such legacies become traditions, and traditions ultimately metamorphose into conventions.


 
 
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The Urantia Book