From: Ramez Naam (mez@apexnano.com)
Date: Thu Apr 17 2003 - 17:51:31 MDT
From: gts [mailto:gts_2000@yahoo.com]
> This comment is interesting to me for two reasons: first, I
> would disagree adamantly with Diamond if he really suggests
> in his books that the hunting of animals to extinction was a
> "destructive tendency" of hungry paleolithic peoples who
> didn't know better, and second because I'm inclined to agree
> with Daniel Quinn who believes civilized societies have often
> tended to be more destructive than prehistoric societies.
Diamond's thinking on this topic is quite consistent with the vast
majority of anthropological data. Quinn's thinking sounds like an
echo of the "noble savage" and "peaceful hunter-gatherer" myths that
were promulgated a few decades ago but are now discredited.
Animals in the wild will hunt their prey to extinction if conditions
allow. Primitive humans were no different. Only with the rise of
agriculture did the notion of preserving animal lines for future food
arise.
For corroborating data see Stephen Pinker's _The Blank Slate_ or look
up the work of Donald Brown on "Human Universals". Also consider
reading Diamond's _Guns, Germs, and Steel_ - it presents a truly vast
amount of evidence for Diamond's positions, so much so that I found
myself saying "enough! I believe you now!" many times while reading
the book.
mez
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