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Hunter-Gatherers

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Observing the past through our modern lens makes it near impossible to objectively judge the decisions of our ancient ancestors. Hindsight bias plays a large role in clouding our ability to see what may have been. Was adopting agriculture a successful decision? Would humans have been better off remaining hunter-gatherers? Both arguments have valid points. However, the more time I spend pondering these questions, the greater I start to lean towards the former. Before delving too deep, it’s best to look at the foundation of this entire premises; yes, hunter gatherers lived more comfortable and heathier lives than ancient farmers, but was their lifestyle truly better? After all, humans have been hunter-gatherers for much of our existence. …show more content…

However, even if they had the time, the nomadic lifestyle of hunter-gatherers severely limited their abilities. Because early humans were able to permanently reside at a single location, they were able to create tools that would have been impossible to move around nomadically. Such tools were used to improve techniques and create more advanced tools. Take metalworking for example, the production of iron and bronze requires a capable furnace, something that is extremely difficult to haul from location to location. Without iron we would have never developed steel. Without both of these the industrial revolution would not have been possible, and without the industrial revolution modern levels of technology wouldn’t exist. Arguing that our lives are better off without these technologies seems shortsighted. Yes, these technologies have negatives, which I plan on further addressing, but it’s also important to look at the good. Even if you live in a developing country today, much of the world has access to better medical technology than a hunter-gatherer could have ever dreamed of. Diseases and injuries that would have devastated hunter-gatherers are now treatable. How can we say that such a lifestyle would be better when many would never get a chance to live

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