From: Guru George (gurugeorge@sugarland.idiscover.co.uk)
Date: Mon Jan 13 1997 - 12:52:15 MST
>>Irwin Silverman and Marion Eals, in a paper in _The Adapted Mind_ (ed.
>>by Barkow, Cosmides and Tooby), assumed that the differences in cognitive
>>abilities between the sexes were a result of specializations for hunting
>>in men and foraging in women.
>
>And there are plenty of citations to nullify that hypothesis as well.
>_The Descent of Woman_ lays out several theories, and one could point
>to Estioko-Griffin's 'Daughters of the Forest', an anthropological study
>of the warrior/hunter women of the Agta tribe of the Sierra Madra.
>Not to mention the seeming lack of gender role division in New
>Zealand tribes and the pioneer societies of Early America.
>
Everyone should read about the Aquatic Ape hypothesis, as championed by
Elaine Morgan in her books The Descent of Woman and Scars of Evolution.
I'd always thought that it had much more plausibility than the usual
savannah tales, which do tend to be sexist in a rather dumb kind of way,
and was encouraged to note that no less a mind that Daniel C. Dennett
thinks it's pretty reasonable too. Apparently the blanket scoffing is
dying down, and there are signs of of it getting more serious attention
>from researchers. Obviously, if it's correct, it will necessitate a major
overhaul of all our ideas about our origins, so it's no surprise that
people have been cautious about it..
Guru George
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