The Drawn Cutlass: The Return of the Noble Savage

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Return of the Noble Savage

Scientists try out a ridiculous theory that that man would have better benefited by remaining a hunter-gatherer.

4 comments:

Jenny said...: Wow.

This idea's been doing the rounds now for what... two hundred odd years now? At least? ("first came to prominence" with Dimond and G,G,AS? Little longer than that... :) )

Reading the article it looks like the good Dr, and to a much lesser extent the author of the piece had a bit of perspective - the editor not so much.

You ever notice that (with the rare dirttiming exception) most everyone lamenting the whole "advent of agriculture and civilization" thing are folks who'd last about a day and a half if they actually had to live in a hunter-gatherer state?; 6/23/2009 12:51:00 PM
Bob said...: @Jenny: and I was also thinking that available resources for hunter/gatherers are can only support a small population of humans, rather than the billions we now have. Isn't it common with environmentalists to see man as a plague on the planet that needs to be controlled and reduced in numbers, if not made extinct all together?; 6/23/2009 01:44:00 PM
TOTWTYTR said...: The invention of agriculture, thus freeing some humans from the near constant search for food, is the only reason we have any civilization at all.

Once again, we get a stark demonstration of the difference between education and intelligence.

No wonder academics voted overwhelmingly for President Feckless.; 6/24/2009 06:04:00 PM
Jenny said...: Bob... I think so.

But hey, I can't help but remember Art's comment one upon a time "this country was a lot more fun a hundred million people ago."

Having lived in both very high and very low population density areas, I have to say.. the latter is a lot more livable. So I can understand the whole "population bomb" thing of a generation ago. Thing is, you do that and the next generation's at the mercy of those that don't... Steyn's book comes to mind there.

Just ain't a good answer there... save for us to figure out terraforming or suchlike. :); 6/25/2009 04:09:00 AM

The Drawn Cutlass Philosophy

Be as decent as you can. Don't believe without evidence. Treat things divine with marked respect, and don't have anything to do with them. Do not trust humanity without collateral security, it will play you some scurvy trick. Remember that it hurts no one to be treated as an enemy entitled to respect until he prove himself a friend worthy of affection. Cultivate a taste for distasteful truths. And, finally, most important of all, endeavor to see things as they are, not as they ought to be.

Ambrose Bierce

Jeff Cooper's Rules of Gun Safety

All guns are always loaded. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.
Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. (For those who insist that this particular gun is unloaded, see Rule 1.)
Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target. This is the Golden Rule. Its violation is directly responsible for about 60 percent of inadvertent discharges.
Identify your target, and what is behind it. Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified.

Restaurant Ratings

My restaurant ratings, mostly intended for BBQ restaurants, will be on a 1-5 scale, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. Unlike most reviewers, I don't intend to play games with the rating scale by introducing fractions such as "2 and 1/2" or "4 and 3/4," I've always considered that stupid and a signal that the reviewer is trying to avoid making an honest 1-5 judgment.

Here is the breakdown of the ratings:

1 out of 5: waste of time, crap, unable to finish eating; apathy by staff/ownership

2 out of 5: edible, but no effort to impress; staff/management going through motions; desultory.

3 out of 5: average; reasonably good food, moderate effort by staff/management

4 out of 5: good; tasty, well-prepared food, staff alert, restaurant clean.

5 out of 5: great; excellent food, cooked fresh. Staff attentive and proactive, management responsive to complaints. Restaurant spotless.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Return of the Noble Savage

4 comments:

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