Rhythm in Ecclesiastes and CJ Chivers
[ by Charles Cameron — wars and seasons of wars ]
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Read the CJ Chivers piece first, for verbal and visual background, then read the New York Times article he mentions, Cease-Fire for Harvests Offers Respite in Afghanistan, which is now online — and quite a read it is, too.
October 8th, 2011 at 1:51 am
"As population densities of hunter-gatherers slowly rose at the end of the ice ages, bands had to choose between feeding more mouths by taking the first steps toward agriculture, or else finding ways to limit growth. Some bands chose the former solution, unable to anticipate the evils of farming, and seduced by the transient abundance they enjoyed until population growth caught up with increased food production. Such bands outbred and then drove off or killed the bands that chose to remain hunter-gatherers, because a hundred malnourished farmers can still outfight one healthy hunter. It’s not that hunter-gatherers abandoned their life style, but that those sensible enough not to abandon it were forced out of all areas except the ones farmers didn’t want."
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Jared Diamond, "The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race,"
Discover Magazine, May 1987, pp. 64-66.
http://www.ditext.com/diamond/mistake.html
October 8th, 2011 at 4:29 am
As you know, Michael, the instinct dies hard — I still hunt for, and gather, books…
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Aside: I’m hoping you might respond to my comment here…