HUMAN DEVOLUTION Michael Cremo
review by Mac Tonnies
See: http://www.mactonnies.com/ufobooks.html
Cosmologists such as Frank Tipler argue that human
existence is an inexplicable anomaly unless the
universe was specifically constructed to enable our
presence. Others seek out less religiously fraught
explanations, postulating multiple universes and an
as-yet undisclosed "Theory of Everything." But while
theoretical physicists and astronomers attempt to
unravel our origins, disturbing evidence that we might
be more than the sum of our physical parts is
dismissed, filed away, systematically expunged from
mainstream discourse. In "Human Devolution," the
sequel to "Forbidden Archaeology" (co-written with
Richard L. Thompson) Vedic scholar and archaeologist
Michael Cremo takes us on a fascinating tour of
neglected knowledge, with topics including mysterious
fossils, problems with the prevailing "out of Africa"
hypothesis for human origins, telepathy, and UFOs.
Exhaustively researched, "Human Devolution" is a
daunting but thoroughly compelling attempt to redefine
what it is to be human, frequently as engaging for
what it leaves to the reader's mind as it is for
unearthing revelatory bits of secret knowledge.
Cremo asserts that Darwinian evolution is flawed
insofar as the complexity of living things,
particularly humans, suggests an overriding order of
awareness and intent not found among the molecules and
synapses of materialist science. Drawing from ancient
Indian Vedic creation accounts, Cremo argues that
matter coincides with a subtle cognitive faculty
(mind) and a distinct conscious component (spirit)
that transcends the other two. In this sense, humans
are "devolved" entities blinkered by our relatively
low standing in what Cremo terms a cosmic hierarchy of
various beings at differing stages of enlightenment.
If you think all of this smacks of creationism, you're
absolutely right. But unlike authors of Fundamentalist
"Creation Science" tracts, Cremo is honest in his
presentation. To be sure, Cremo takes issue with
mainstream evolutionary thought -- but given the
archaeological enigmas cited in "Human Devolution's"
encyclopedic prequel, what objective person can blame
him? Something vital is missing in our understanding
of our origins; the reality of Cremo's Vedic
alternative to Darwinism is not so much a conclusive
explanation as a rallying cry for embracing new ways
of perceiving our universe. To that end, Cremo devotes
a lengthy chapter to cross-cultural examination of
world creation mythology, unveiling tantalizing
similarities to his Vedic template.
"Human Devolution" is not without shortcomings. While
its constituent chapters are vastly informative when
taken individually, Cremo shirks the admittedly
daunting task of synthesizing them into a sensible
whole; the concluding chapter -- so brief as to be
almost flippant -- is essentially regurgitated Vedic
creation myth that will leave most readers wanting to
sink their intellectual teeth into something more
palpable. While aspects of Vedic cosmology indeed echo
reports of nonlocal consciousness, "alien" encounters
and even Big Bang theory, subscribing to Cremo's
nakedly sincere metaphysical ontology is a leap of
faith. Then again, Cremo tells us as much. Again, it
is "Human Devolution's" studied honesty and plainly
stated iconoclasm that make this tome a valuable
contribution.
Like a handful of other works that attempt to explain
it all (Michael Talbot's prescient "The Holographic
Universe" springs immediately to mind), "Human
Devolution" is both an invitation and a riddle; I
predict it will achieve a significant measure of
underground superstardom among discerning readers of
the occult. But the real issue is Cremo's potential
impact on the dominant materialist paradigm. Will 21st
century science dare to accept "Human Devolution's"
call for a new epistemological perspective, or will
Cremo's work be forever consigned to the ever-growing
canon of "forbidden" texts . . . ?
=====
Mac Tonnies - macbot@yahoo.com
Explore MTVI @ http://www.mactonnies.com
Posthuman Blues: http://posthumanblues.blogspot.com
(daily blog)
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