Eternal War Is Not One of Nature's Laws
Socialist Press1978 1978-02-01Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 8 →
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socially for the better regula- human society only with the tion of the complex relation- development of agriculture, Men, more concerned with and acquire private property the technical problem of (in the form of land) for the In his book he uses much hunting, would require a first time. material that is of interest silent sign-language, as used by many hunting peoples growth in population and th Women would therefore of wealth. evolved from tree-living apes, have a greater need (and into hominids which moved opportunity) to evolve a war appeared and indeed this out into the grass lands which complex language.
To prove the barbarism of marked by its extreme about twelve million years primitive man, some anthro- violence.
He correctly sees the evidence of cannibalism such ness of the book. Having division of labour as the key as at Chouboutien near understood warfare as a resull to Man's development from Peking..
ORIGINI
by Richard eakey: Macdonald James €8.95 The Christian Church has always believed that God created Man in his own image, and that Man is therefore on a completely different and higher plane than the animals.
Yet Man, they say, has "fallen" from God's grace and is therefore doomed to the unending struggle against "original sin". . The defeat of this mediaeval superstition by Darwin and others opened the way for major advances in anthropology, of which the greatest was made by L. H. Morgan.
Drawing upon his study of American Indian societies, he came to an understanding of the development of society very similar to that of Marx and Engels.
Not surpassed That "classical" period of anthropology has probably not been surpassed.
In recent years an attempt has been made to resurrect (in the name of science) a conception of Original Sin, Prize winner) and Desmond Morris (who at least had the oit of money out of it) amongst wit to make a large amount others.
They maintain that the evolution of Man as a hunter for meat has condemned him to eternal conflict and war, since his primitive aggression remains in his genes.
In Origins Richard Leakey, one of the most eminent anthropologists today, attempts to refute this theory using the latest evidence about Man's early development.
Tree living apes
to Marxists.
In the first part Leakey today. shows how Man's ancestors were opening up in Africa ago. this Ramapithecus compelled to co-operate and share the fruits of labour by the necessity to hunt and defend the troup from danger.
As he points out, the first permanent division of labour in numan socitly was wal La to can so co enrinter marna that between men, the hunters, and women, restricted by their almost unceasing responsibility of childcare, to the role of gatherers of wild fruit, nuts and roots.
Regulation
In fact he believes languase evolved firstlv amansonro amongst women, since like Marx he sees language as primarily a tool for living anninller fer tha hatter ramılaships within human society. pologists have cited the Leakey points out that these practices show clear evidence of ritual, and rather than the indications of Man's innate savagery, they appear as the indications of Man's superstitious attitude towards Jus UWIl vUuy. hia numn hade Indeed he cites several examples of tribes which ritually avoid conflict with others.
For him warfare amongst primitive peoples is caused by material pressures-shortage of food, or of hunting grounds-rather than by any патига rapaciousness in man.
Perhaps one of his most interesting beliefs is that warfare became a real part of which led Man to settle down This permitted a massive beginnings of accumulatior Thus a material basis to period in human history is Here lies the main weakof the development of private