[quote=urbanrealtor][quote=Arraya]Actually our longest and most successful social organization was tribal for about 3 million years(depending on you success metrics). This was universal before we developed agriculture and the concept of owning the earth, which popped up about 8-10,000 years ago. Most likely, weather pattern changes which produced the need for agriculture. Most tribes were egalitarian and everybody had equal access to resources. If anything, that is what we are psychologically hardwired for just by looking time scales. Marx understood this. During this time we did not need “isms”, to be scared of or to revere. Actually, post-agriculture humans became less healthy, shorter and worked 2-3 times more, except for the ones divined by god to rule, up until science.
All our “isms” are of relatively new design and came into play when we realized we were getting jacked over by assholes who said they ruled by divine right. Which started during the earliest forms civilization in the middle east, personified by the god king in egypt and followed all the way up to the monarchs in europe, up to a few hundred years ago.
The US was a leap away from the divine right concept. Of course, we had slaves(which we justified with divine right), wide open land brimming with untapped natural resources, a few new cool technologies and included the mass dispossession and genocide of a people(which we justified with divine right).[/quote]
Yeah uhhh no.
Most tribes of hunter-gatherers had/have fairly elaborate (though seldom obvious) hierarchies.
The San tribes of the eastern Kalihari (best known for “The Gods Must Be Crazy”) have whole journals written about social hierarchy and how it is hidden from outsiders (partly to avoid social tension).
As if you needed more evidence that I am a geek.[/quote]
They’re not uniform, by an means, however, generally speaking were egalitarian-ish. Though, yes, many had or have heirarchies. Then again, studying the current living ones and archeological evidence shows differing structures
Archeological evidence suggest, generally speaking, more egalitarian than social structures of today. Which is easy to imagine with the numbers involved.
The only reason I brought it up is because the discussion turned to social structures and I was pointing out the longest running one in history.
