“劳动创造人”是我国理论界的一个基本命题,解放后对此命题进行过多次讨论。这个命题的主要内容是:古猿下到地面后,为了生存,手越来越多地使用天然工具以获取食物和抵御敌害,而脚则经常用于走路,最后直立行走。这样,“手变得自由了,能够不断地获得新的技巧,而这样获得的灵活性便遗传下来,一代一代地增加着。”手脚分工和直立行走,又使其它器官发生一系列变化。在劳动中,社会成员必须经常地交流思想以加强合作,这种需要使猿的喉头及口部器官发生变化,导致语言的产生。在语言和劳动的推动下,猿的脑髓又发展为人的脑髓。因此,劳动是古猿转变到人的决定因素。 我们认为,根据现代科学成果,在古猿向人类的进化过程中,劳动并不是一个决定性的因素。“劳动创造人”的命题不能绝对化、简单化。 “Labor creator” is one of the basic propositions of our theoretical circle. After the liberation, many discussions have been held on this proposition. The main content of this proposition is that when the ape falls below the ground, in order to survive, his hands are increasingly using natural tools for food and predators, while his feet are often used for walking and walking upright. In this way, “the hand becomes free and continually acquires new skills, and the flexibility thus acquired is inherited from one generation to the next.” The division of labor and upright walking, in turn, leads to a series of changes in other organs. In labor, members of society must exchange ideas frequently to enhance cooperation. Such needs change the apes’ throat and mouth organs, resulting in language production. With the help of language and labor, the apes’ brains develop into human brain. Therefore, labor is the decisive factor in the conversion of paleontology to human beings. In our opinion, according to modern scientific achievements, labor is not a decisive factor in the evolution of paleontology to mankind. The proposition of “labor to create people” can not be absolute and simplistic.