this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2024
10 points (91.7% liked)

Ask Science

8694 readers
113 users here now

Ask a science question, get a science answer.


Community Rules


Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.


Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.


Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.


Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.


Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.


Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.


Rule 7: Report violations.Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.


Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.


Rule 9: Source required for answers.Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.


By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.

We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

I just watched the recent video from Stephen Milo on human life 1 million years ago. He mentions cannibalism evidence across multiple events. That has me thinking about morality in isolated groups and how it might have evolved or could evolve differently.

This is the paper reference for Atapuerca – human cannibalism 1 million years ago

This is Stephen Milo's upload to YT and relevant time stamp for the article:

I'm curious about how human morality evolves in isolation before external influences cause an averaging effect. Do the rough edges get knocked off in a predictable fashion, taming the most eccentric behaviors over time until we reach peaceful cohabitation, or do we simply partition our animalistic stupidity and become far worse in the duality of civility and the barbarism of a primitive sub-sentient species with War?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Are you judging morality because of cannibalism?

“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.”

[–] Buddahriffic 3 points 8 months ago

Curiosity about the evolution of morality is not the same as judgement of that morality.

Also, they are dead and wouldn't be affected by any judgements today anyways.

[–] j4k3 2 points 8 months ago

I'm hanging cannibalism on the end of extreme, but intending on the broader scope of most extreme behaviors. It is easier to approach than the sexual and predatory counterparts.

Like if there is no potential "greater" social authority likely to interfere, is there a population density that determines overall accountability? Is it the randomness of personalities and spectrums? Is there any evidence of a change over time and social evolution?

They are hard questions. I wonder if any observational evidence exists around the various dwindling native groups that exist(ed) in various degrees of isolation. It is also a question of how fixation, paranoia, and anxiety may have evolved in the human species over time. It would be really interesting to be able to contrast this kind of behavior potential now versus the deep past.