The basic idea of neoteny is simple: infant characteristics are extended into adulthood. The mechanism for this is the slowing of normal adult development. Young chimpanzees have more in common with adult humans than they do with adult chimpanzees. Some believe humans are apes that die of old age before they are fully developed.
What causes the slowing of adult development? Evolutionists have their ideas. Nobody really knows. It happens. It happens in many species. When it happens often enough to produce a viable breeding population, a new species is formed.
Is a forever-young species a good thing? Peter Pan thought so. Many characteristics of childhood support Peter’s opinion. Walt Disney thought so, too. Over the years, He slowly transformed Mickey Mouse from a lanky long-nosed adult mouse into an ever cuter baby mouse with big eyes and rounded features. The only thing left of adulthood in Micky was his grown-up behavior; he looked like child but behaved like an adult.
Evolutionist Stephan Jay Gould, wrote about Micky’s neotenous maturation in a 1979 Natural History magazine article. In that same article, Gould noted that the Disney Princesses were uniformly sweet, childish, and barely pubescent.
There is something about the baby version of any animal, including, warthogs, rhinos and horny toads that warms even the iciest heart. They’re small, energetic and cute. Nearly all the mammalians are also playful, honest, curious, trusting, imaginative, inventive, fun loving, gentle, and loving.
What do the adults of most species have in common? They are nearly all serious, cautious, and suspicious of anything not already understood, including strangers. They’re not much inclined toward trying to understand because they’re worn out by the tedious burden of adult responsibility. Gentleness and love are reserved for family and friends. Anything they do for, “fun”, is likely to be done formally, and only at prescribed times. Adult fun is usually expensive, too, whereas children can spend many happy hours playing with an empty cardboard box.
Unfortunately, someone has to be the adult.
If children really remained children, they probably wouldn’t last too long. The suspicious caution of adults protects children from children’s lack of suspicion. In a perfect world being forever young would be just right. In this world it isn’t.
Neoteny is necessarily limited by survivability.
Evolutionists believe neoteny is created by random mutations that result in a species more successful than the species that came before. On the other hand, it might be that God purposely used the mechanism of neoteny to construct and reconstruct His various creations - including us. Either explanation explains. More interesting to me is how neoteny might explain some of the differences between male and female.
Ladies tend to be soft and rounded. Men tend to be hard and angular. Ladies tend to be gentle and nurturing. Men tend to be rough and aggressive. Ladies tend to be playful with their children. Men tend to be playful with ladies, especially when they’re courting the ladies.
Ladies have more in common with children, Men have more in common with apes. I am exaggerating of course, but only to make the point more pointed. Civilization would likely be impossible without women, and unsustainable without men. Both make It possible for children to live long enough to become adults. Nurturing wouldn’t matter without protection.
That’s a large reason why God made Adam - and Eve.
Eve’s retention of some infantile characteristics made her a better mom. Adam’s more modest retention made him much more than an ape, and redirected his former adult ape savagery into the more thoughtful strength of a dad - a mother & child protector.
People often say, ”If only I could be a kid again with what I know now”. What better; combine the accumulated wisdom of adulthood with the with enthusiastic joy of youth.
Bob Dylan once sang, “He not busy being born, is busy dying”.
Children are always busy, adults would rather not be. Children act silly and roll around on the ground for nothing more than the fun of it. Adults worry even when there is no point in worrying. I think the notion of neotenous growth is a better model for maturing. Embrace each day with the joyous open-eyed enthusiasm of a child. Each day take care of what needs to be done, then wonder. . . be grateful - and play.
Jesus said, ”suffer the little children to come on to me, and forbid then not; for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven”, (Matthew 9:14). Is that God’s intended course for humankind; to become more and more like children – playful, honest, curious, and loving?
I think so.
If the notion of neoteny matters at all it is as means rather than end.
Fig, 5 – Comparison of juvenile . . . and adult chimpanzee.
From: Growing Young, by Ashley Montagu (Bergan & Garvey Publishers, Inc. 1989).
One small step for monkeykind . . . ?