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Nature-relatedness in earliest human development

The origin of naturism is to be found in the closeness to nature in the earliest history of mankind. Early humans were very closely involved with and largely dependent on the nature surrounding them. After the first humans were able to begin to use their enlarged brains to make themselves and their existence the object of their thoughts, the awareness of this dependence was overwhelming, for there was no explanation for very many natural processes. In all early cultures, therefore, a cult developed to worship the powers of nature: be it the luck of the hunt, the fertility of the fields, a good harvest, the advancement of one's own family and tribe – the powers of nature were invoked for the achievement of all the goals that humans needed to survive.
This attitude towards nature remained intact for hundreds of thousands of years. What initially took place through direct invocation of the powers of nature and was also accompanied by offerings, soon developed into a cult of gods, at the latest in the ancient cultures known to us. The gods were formed by personifying the powers of nature in people's imagination, and clever businessmen turned the idea of gods into a lucrative business: They posed as ambassadors of the gods, claimed to understand their language, and kept a tidy share of the offerings for themselves. Thus the priesthood emerged as a caste running a lucrative business without really having to work for it – a recipe for success to this day.
For light, without which no life on earth is conceivable, the sun god was worshipped, in Egypt Aten, in Babylon Samash. For fertility, a goddess was usually responsible. In Egypt she was called Hapi. Men had to adhere to the god of procreation, in Egypt he was called Min, in Greece Pan. The goddess of love was called Hathor in Egypt, while Freyja was responsible for this area among the Germanic tribes. The Egyptian god of wind, Amun, had a popular fellow god in Thor among the Germanic tribes.
The Egyptian sun god Aten lowers his hands of rays on Akhenaten and Nefertiti with three children. Public Domain
The personalisation of the natural powers by deities partially pushed back the direct reference to nature, however, in the course of history, nature as the life-giving environment of humans always moved back into consciousness and the general focus when events occurred that threatened life. These included local disasters such as extreme weather events, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions as well as epidemics or global climate change. In such situations, people always remembered being a part of nature and that they could only survive in harmony with it – even if gods and priests were unable to fulfil the expectations placed in them.

Naturism as a return of humans to their existence as living beings in natural surroundings

Such a return to nature took place in the 19th century, for example, after industrialisation had distanced mankind more and more from a way of life close to nature and living conditions were quite poor for a large part of the population. Today, the word "naturism" is essentially used for the developments originating in this period. The aim of this chapter is to shed light on the history of naturism with its various forms, especially the aspect of nudity. Therefore, we go back to the beginning of human history.
The beginning of humans as a species of primates dates back about 6 million years. Since then, humans on the one hand and our closest relatives, the chimpanzees and bonobos on the other (with whom humans still had common ancestors) have continued to evolve independently of each other.
The comparison of the developments shows clear differences:

Criterion Chimpanzees Bonobos Humans
Brain size Minor increase Minor increase Major increase
Anatomy Minor increase Minor increase Change to upright gait
Mental development Minor increase Minor increase Major increase in intellect concerning abstraction, intentionality, language, writing
Internal Social Structure Packs with dominant pack leader, hierarchical structure within the pack Packs with egalitarian and peaceful coexistence Packs with ruler structures, reduction of social core cells to family, desocialisation, use of violence even within their own group, up to and including killing 1)
External Social Structure Defence of own resources, armed conflicts with competing groups, including killing of individuals 1) Defence of own resources Aggressiveness, conquest of foreign resources, armed conflicts, including killing 1)
Clothes - - Prestige, protection against cold, privacy
Domestication Territory Territory Settlement, State
Tools Utilisation Utilisation Manufacturing, development of complex technology
Industrialisation - - Exploitation of the environment up to destruction

1) Chimpanzees and humans are the only known species which go as far as killing in fights – all other creatures break off their fights before serious injuries occur. However, murder (within their own social structures) occurs almost only in humans – and only very occasionally in chimpanzee packs. The reason for this is probably human (!) emotions such as hatred, envy, greed and power-seeking, which require a more complex brain.

The path of humanity through history is thus essentially shaped through
  • ► increasing mental and technical abilities and skills,
  • ► increasing domestication via nomadism to urbanisation,
  • ► increasing shift of social focus from pack to family and the individual,
  • ► decreasing dependence of the individual on social integration,
  • ► increasing exploitation of the natural habitat Planet Earth.

The return of humans to naturism includes in particular the criteria of:

1. Internal and External Social Structure:
Naturists treat other people with respect and consideration, non-violently and with affection.

2. Clothes:
Where it is possible without conflict, naturists refrain from wearing clothes and respect the diversity of nature, also among fellow human beings.

3. Industrialisation:
Naturists show consideration for nature and only take from it, what can grow anew or be returned to it through recycling.

Main topics

We begin our outline on naturism with the history of being nude, which was common to humans and all animals until a few thousand years ago.
A second area is the transformation of social structures, which has shaped us from the pack to our current urbanisation.
The third subject area is dedicated to psychology, which thinks wisely about what shame is, what you can be ashamed of and what you cannot be ashamed of.
The following topic is the return of people to their relationship with nature, which was established as ‘naturism’ after the alienation from nature caused by industrialisation in the 19th century, and the way it has continued until today.
Finally, a chronological table and a few clever thoughts and literary tidbits on the subject of nudity and naturism are offered.

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