From: Jeremy Bradley (jeremyb@nor.com.au)
Date: Mon 09 Dec 2002 - 12:08:06 GMT
Snip......Jeremy
>> possessions of others. IMO colonising Europeans were the true uncivilised
>> savages. The very fact that our linear cultures are still evolving is
>> evidence of their inferiority. (controversial stuff eh Steve)
>
Steve:
>Not really. We will continue to adapt or die out, even if the changes to the
>environment are our own doing. Inferior and superior are subjective terms.
>Species exist or they do not.
>
>Also, I don't buy the noble savage at one with the environment bit. As Joe
>has noted re the Anasazi, Easter Island etc, I would suggest that the reason
>they did not deplete their resources may be due to the environment itself in
>Australia. If I understand it correctly, pre agriculture, viable resources
>were not to plentiful and were widely dispersed, which would make it
>difficult to produce a sizable population that could cause harm to the
>environment. I do agree that they were very in tune with the environment
>they lived in (as were many other hunter gatherers throughout the world).
>This is slowly being recognised by your government in respect of burning the
>land in a controlled fashion to avoid the yearly catastrophes that seem to
>be occurring with respect to uncontrolled bush fires.
> Steve
Jeremy:
Of course I am not suggesting that all HG societies were sustainable. But I
have lived with some impresively noble and civilised semi-nomadic
indigenous Australians who had their environment compleatly worked out. BTW
in the area that I was in traditional fertility control was enabled by a
simple surgical operation - on the male. A small hole was made in the base
of the penis so that the semen could be either delivered to the woman or
bypased at will. This system was used 'primative' Australians long before
most of our ancestors even knew how babies were made.
As for the crocs Steve, their numbers were in decline but are now becoming
a bit of a nusence in some areas. But, as yet, there are no decernable
signs that they have recommenced the evolution process
Jeremy
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