Re: Forwarded from Guy Robinson (evolution)

[Adam Levenstein <cleon42@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> This was the result of one of our remote ancestors (homo erectus?)
> made the
> transition 'from herd to tribe' and became social beings.

I think this was probably phrased wrong. Every archaeological
indication "we" have is that homo erectus probably lived in
hunter-gatherer bands, like homo sapiens did for countless millenia
(and some still do).

I don't think any homo (or australopithecine) species was ever a "herd"
- even today's higher primates (chimps, bonobos, gorillas, etc.) tend
to live in societies that are analogous to hunter-gatherer peoples. In
other words, *every* higher primate species - and probably most of the
lower ones as well - is "social."

"Tribe" is usually used in a very specific sense; it refers to
societies that are the "union" (for lack of a better word) of multiple
hunter-gatherer or semi-sedentary groups.

Adam


=====
Adam Levenstein                          cleon42@xxxxxxxxx
ICQ: 17125158

"Microsoft has a new version out, Windows XP, which according to everybody is 
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