Hunter gatherers vs early agriculture farming

[ComingWinter]

While I'm waiting for the next heterophobic, white-people-are-evil by Barky, I stumbled across this and found to be very interesting. Basically this guy's point is agriculture basically ruined humanity and hunter/gatherers was the way to go. Comments? Opinions? I can think of several points to counter his, but I'm curious on what you guys think of it.



http://www.ditext.com/diamond/mistake.html

[Mage246]

The ability to stay in one place and support leisure activities is the cornerstone of technological development. You can't expect someone to invent much when they have to move around to follow game and have to abandon any unifinished ideas.

And seeing as how we clearly love our gadgets, I think it's pretty obvious what we prefer.

[Deserath]

Right, While I may not know too much about the subject what Mage Said just seems to be common sense in a way.

[Nahkuri]

Well, there certainly would be less fat people around if we didn't come up with the whole agriculture thing. As well as less people in general. I imagine our planet or other species wouldn't have been dryholed as badly either.

No matter. I like my beer, metal, pornography, video games, television, electric guitars and so forth.

[AWdeV]

Moreover, I like my me.

For survival and growth of the human race, farming is superiour in every way.

Agriculture didn't "ruin" humanity. To believe so would necessitate him making some sort of value judgement based on behaviour of people thousands of years ago. It's a bit pointless, to say the least.

It's all a bit pointless with a dash of misanthropy.

Dude brings up the San as an example of human hunter-gatherers. It's a good example but just because it works well in the Kalahari desert doesn't mean it was the best elsewhere and I imagine a fur-clad hunter stalking through ancient european forests had a more difficult time surviving. Especially in winter.

[Nipplemelter]

Its an old argument, and Mage made a quality counter to it. I doubt that we would have made much progress if we continued with hunting/gathering and think society turned out fine as it is, despite the environmental issues that we have caused. We may have ruined some things, but at least we have the possibility of fixing a bit of it.

No matter. I like my beer, metal, pornography, video games, television, electric guitars and so forth.

This is a very accurate description of my mornings before work, though we have run out of alcohol I can "secretly" siphon off.

[Mage246]

Moreover, I like my me.

For survival and growth of the human race, farming is superiour in every way.

Agriculture didn't "ruin" humanity. To believe so would necessitate him making some sort of value judgement based on behaviour of people thousands of years ago. It's a bit pointless, to say the least.

It's all a bit pointless with a dash of misanthropy.

Dude brings up the San as an example of human hunter-gatherers. It's a good example but just because it works well in the Kalahari desert doesn't mean it was the best elsewhere and I imagine a fur-clad hunter stalking through ancient european forests had a more difficult time surviving. Especially in winter.

Tldr version: Winter is coming.

[AWdeV]

 

[Pillock]

If you want to go hunter gatherer, then have fun with your cornucopia of disease. Modern first-world humans forget just how much the microbiological world enjoys ******** with us. No advancement afforded by long-term settlement means no medicine, no vaccines,  and a generally shitty and shit-covered quality of life.

[ComingWinter]

Tldr version: Winter is coming.

 

[Pillock]

Tldr version: Winter is coming.

Oh shit, I missed that

[Mage246]

If you want to go hunter gatherer, then have fun with your cornucopia of disease. Modern first-world humans forget just how much the microbiological world enjoys ******** with us. No advancement afforded by long-term settlement means no medicine, no vaccines,  and a generally shitty and shit-covered quality of life.

Yes, but surely if we had kept to hunter gartherer we would have evolved at this point to be one with nature. We'd be giant blue-skinned creatures with the ability to meld our thoughts with beasts. We'd live in giant trees and have winged pets to fly around on, too.

But our stupid anecstors had to be farmers and ruined everything .

[AWdeV]

But we got one thing those stupid space-smurfs don't; beer.

[kurczak]

Yeah, Jared Diamond. No surprise there.

[Pillock]

But we got one thing those stupid space-smurfs don't; beer.

That's not true!

We've also got whiskey, rum,  mead--can't forget that--and of course our greatest of inventions: pineapple frozen fruit bars.