Finger-balance a key to anthropology

The biological anthropology usually looks towards man as an individual and observes his brains and his ability of using tools. Thus the hand already occurs in the work of Aristotle as “instrument of all instruments”, i.e. the hand is subordinated to the order-giving brains. Against this vision the statement “the hand is the visible part of the brains”, attributed to the philosopher Immanuel Kant, is a much more appropriate description, regarding the five fingers to represent the five basic motivations of man. All five define the relation to others. Hence man is sufficently to be described only as a social being, and his brains first of all are a social organism, not a technical switchboard.

Book (in German)

Book is out of print and cannot be delivered any more!
Die Wiederentdeckung der sozialen Intelligenz

Balance der Interessen in einer zukunftsfähigen Gesellschaft, Eberhard Fincke
Radius-Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, 240 S., 5,- Euro, incl. postage.
Order from the author: fingerreim.bs@cyty.com

Content

Author shows, that a balance of interests in nature and in human society can not be achieved by institutional law, but by reciprocity in its original form. This means, five items have to be recognized in order to reach a balance.
Former cultures have seen those five items are represented in the five fingers of the human hand, and did use this knowledge formulating this wisdom by finger rhymes.

In the first part of the book reader is led through the historical development as to how reciprocity and balance in primitive societies have been replaced by rule, law and order, as man installed kings and later democracy.
The second part gives biological information regarding the connection of hand and brains in terms of social intelligence.
It is shown, how those five items, freedom, truth, justice, love and life balance each other and form a specific unit, which can be demonstrated in all details by the symbol of pentagramm.

The third part refers to examples of finger rhymes in early cultures like Old Egypt, Old Israel, Old China and Old America, showing that the social intelligence today has only been “rediscovered”.
Finally author debates, how the knowledge of hand may be used today in order to understand and to manage better the problems of worldwide justice, peace and environment.

Essays on different anthropological aspects in German