And forming groups for survival, it seems just as plausible that we formed groups for availability of mates.
Genetically speaking mate-availability is a component to survival. My understanding of the forces that increased group size is that they are more complex than either of these (big groups win conflicts for terrritory, but food availability (via tool use) and travel speed are limiting factors I believe—big groups only work if you can access a lot of food and move on before stripping the place barren), but I was writing a very short characterisation and I’m happy to acknowledge minor innacuracies. Perhaps I’ll think about tightening up the language or removing that part as you suggest—I probably wrote that it far too casually.
For example, Adolf Hitler lived while Ernst Rohm died
Nice example. Although Hitler did die anyway. And I think a decent part of the reason was his inability to reason effectively and make strategically sound decisions. Of course I think most people are kinda glad he was strategically irrational… In any case I think you’re right the charisma is still useful but my suggestion is that truth-seeking (science etc) has increased in usefulness over time, whereas charisma is probably roughly the same as it has been for a long time.
structured as a story, a chronology
Perhaps I should make the winning section more storylike to make focus on its point rather than it being a scientific guide to that subtopic. Or maybe I just need to rethink it… The core point seems to have been received well at least.
...my suggestion is that truth-seeking (science etc) has increased in usefulness over time, whereas charisma is probably roughly the same as it has been for a long time.
Yes, and I think it’s a good suggestion. I think I can phrase my real objection better now.
My objection is that I don’t think this article gives any evidence for that suggestion. The historical storytelling is a nice illustration, but I don’t think it’s evidence.
I don’t think it’s evidence because I don’t expect evolutionary reasoning at this shallow a depth to produce reliable results. Historical storytelling can justify all sorts of things, and if it justifies your suggestion, that doesn’t really mean anything to me.
A link to a more detailed evolutionary argument written by someone else, or even just a link to a Wikipedia article on the general concept, would have changed this. But what’s here is just evolutionary/historical storytelling like I’ve seen justifying all sorts of incorrect conclusions, and the only difference is that I happen to agree with the conclusion.
If you just want to illustrate something that you expect your readers to already believe, this is fine. If you want to convince anybody you’d need a different article.
Cheers now that we’ve narrowed down our differences that’s some really constructive feedback. I think I intended it primarily as a illustration and assume that most people in this context would probably already agree with that perspective, though this could be a bad assumption and it probably makes the argument seem pretty sloppy in any case. It’ll definitely need refinement, so thanks.
LOL it was just a turn of phrase.
Genetically speaking mate-availability is a component to survival. My understanding of the forces that increased group size is that they are more complex than either of these (big groups win conflicts for terrritory, but food availability (via tool use) and travel speed are limiting factors I believe—big groups only work if you can access a lot of food and move on before stripping the place barren), but I was writing a very short characterisation and I’m happy to acknowledge minor innacuracies. Perhaps I’ll think about tightening up the language or removing that part as you suggest—I probably wrote that it far too casually.
Nice example. Although Hitler did die anyway. And I think a decent part of the reason was his inability to reason effectively and make strategically sound decisions. Of course I think most people are kinda glad he was strategically irrational… In any case I think you’re right the charisma is still useful but my suggestion is that truth-seeking (science etc) has increased in usefulness over time, whereas charisma is probably roughly the same as it has been for a long time.
Perhaps I should make the winning section more storylike to make focus on its point rather than it being a scientific guide to that subtopic. Or maybe I just need to rethink it… The core point seems to have been received well at least.
Yes, and I think it’s a good suggestion. I think I can phrase my real objection better now.
My objection is that I don’t think this article gives any evidence for that suggestion. The historical storytelling is a nice illustration, but I don’t think it’s evidence.
I don’t think it’s evidence because I don’t expect evolutionary reasoning at this shallow a depth to produce reliable results. Historical storytelling can justify all sorts of things, and if it justifies your suggestion, that doesn’t really mean anything to me.
A link to a more detailed evolutionary argument written by someone else, or even just a link to a Wikipedia article on the general concept, would have changed this. But what’s here is just evolutionary/historical storytelling like I’ve seen justifying all sorts of incorrect conclusions, and the only difference is that I happen to agree with the conclusion.
If you just want to illustrate something that you expect your readers to already believe, this is fine. If you want to convince anybody you’d need a different article.
Cheers now that we’ve narrowed down our differences that’s some really constructive feedback. I think I intended it primarily as a illustration and assume that most people in this context would probably already agree with that perspective, though this could be a bad assumption and it probably makes the argument seem pretty sloppy in any case. It’ll definitely need refinement, so thanks.
EDIT> My reply attracted downvotes? Odd.