anthropology
/anthropology436
Study of humanity, human behavior, biology, cultures, societies, tools, past and present.
Last years findings in biological anthropology are fascinating.
Thanks to genetic research, today we can clear up a lot of misunderstandings about human evolution and false information on the differences between human groups, some of which were even “backed” by the academy and leading to dangerous ideologies.
https://www.sapiens.org/biology/genetics-education-needs-overhaul-race-diversity/
Thanks to genetic research, today we can clear up a lot of misunderstandings about human evolution and false information on the differences between human groups, some of which were even “backed” by the academy and leading to dangerous ideologies.
https://www.sapiens.org/biology/genetics-education-needs-overhaul-race-diversity/
Polynya’s articles on crypto culture are essential reading, and I’m pretty sure they will soon become valuable resource for anthropologists to understand the crypto world from a sociocultural and socioeconomical perspective.
Dropping his latest thoughts here
/anthropology
Dropping his latest thoughts here
/anthropology
in order to form community you need to form a third space. A third space is where like-minded people hang out and enjoy their time (basically)
Our capitalist society does not allow for a free or inexpensive third spaces anymore which is further killing subcultures
𝙊𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙥 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚:
that's why content creators, streamers & streaming platforms have become so popular.. they essentially become a digital third space; twitch, kick, etc
another example would kinda be /tavern
Our capitalist society does not allow for a free or inexpensive third spaces anymore which is further killing subcultures
𝙊𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙥 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚:
that's why content creators, streamers & streaming platforms have become so popular.. they essentially become a digital third space; twitch, kick, etc
another example would kinda be /tavern
From Bullshit Jobs
David Wengrow announced that a second book of The Dawn of Everything is coming soon! 🔥
https://x.com/davidwengrow/status/1830567588457549979
https://x.com/davidwengrow/status/1830567588457549979
This article deserves to be in /anthropology.
Really interesting break-down on the for-profit city of Próspera in Honduras, in which different social experiments are being developed.
Really interesting break-down on the for-profit city of Próspera in Honduras, in which different social experiments are being developed.
i can't wait for the netflix special of this; i knew it would happen. kids that were filmed all their life growing up are now young adults and sharing how traumatic it was
Good article with solid critiques to the self-sovereign identity, questioning if it’s really as liberating as it seems.
https://generative-identity.org/the-dystopia-of-self-sovereign-identity-ssi/
https://generative-identity.org/the-dystopia-of-self-sovereign-identity-ssi/
I think about this often; with the technology we have now we have the ability to do anything and most importantly see anyone.
I am sure the development of our brains have changed along with the beauty standards of society and I love seeing beautiful people but I genuinely believe we're not supposed to see this many attractive people in one lifetime .
I am sure the development of our brains have changed along with the beauty standards of society and I love seeing beautiful people but I genuinely believe we're not supposed to see this many attractive people in one lifetime .
space time compression makes so much sense because back in the day it really took months to go to another continent, now just a few hours.. messenger pigeons/letters replaced by facetime etc
the ONLY reason i would go back to college is to get an anthropology degree and even then i would probably only use it to post hyper niche memes 😭
bro who is running the ads on heinz and why are they working 😭
A sentence I read in a book yesterday:
“Shrinking the universe’s 13.8 billion years to a single 12-month period puts the dinosaurs shockingly close to Christmas, while the earliest Homo sapiens arrive only a few minutes before New Year’s fireworks.”
“Shrinking the universe’s 13.8 billion years to a single 12-month period puts the dinosaurs shockingly close to Christmas, while the earliest Homo sapiens arrive only a few minutes before New Year’s fireworks.”
"Farcaster personality"
only thing wrong is i would not show up to the party at all
only thing wrong is i would not show up to the party at all
In a society where counterpower is effective, Elon Musk would already be stripped of his privileges—or limited in some ways—for all the power he possesses and the repeated abuse of power he exercises within a corporate network that is one of the most influential social media platforms in the world.
This isn't about statism or collectivist ideals. Mechanisms to prevent the powerful from accumulating more power exist in literally every type of society that existed.
Something is fundamentally wrong within our society.
This isn't about statism or collectivist ideals. Mechanisms to prevent the powerful from accumulating more power exist in literally every type of society that existed.
Something is fundamentally wrong within our society.
Reading a lot of the political discussion on social media being again about capitalism vs. marxism, and it sounds to me like the band on the Titanic playing their last song.
Basing your arguments on the assumption that the capitalist model its natural order and will last forever is entirely naive and renders ones theories flawed from the start.
That's why, when I hear certain narratives (often from politicians, thinkers, VCs, tech ppl from USA), I can't help but laugh.
Such ideas are comparable to tarot readings, revealing a complete lack of understanding of human history and our nature, as well as our adaptation to environmental and social changes.
The End of History (Fukuyama) was just a propaganda game with zero scientific and anthropological value.
Throughout history, dominant systems have been marginalized within years, often being replaced by others that have yet to be theorized. Sometimes even reverting to previously established systems (or similar).
Basing your arguments on the assumption that the capitalist model its natural order and will last forever is entirely naive and renders ones theories flawed from the start.
That's why, when I hear certain narratives (often from politicians, thinkers, VCs, tech ppl from USA), I can't help but laugh.
Such ideas are comparable to tarot readings, revealing a complete lack of understanding of human history and our nature, as well as our adaptation to environmental and social changes.
The End of History (Fukuyama) was just a propaganda game with zero scientific and anthropological value.
Throughout history, dominant systems have been marginalized within years, often being replaced by others that have yet to be theorized. Sometimes even reverting to previously established systems (or similar).
Against the Grain
Book · 2017 · ★★★★☆
Really interesting book about the impact of the agriculture and sedentarism on human societies, and the formation of early states.
https://nook.social/content/177ab068-5334-4791-9c50-c7c6ecb0c988
Book · 2017 · ★★★★☆
Really interesting book about the impact of the agriculture and sedentarism on human societies, and the formation of early states.
https://nook.social/content/177ab068-5334-4791-9c50-c7c6ecb0c988
New analysis of cave art depicting human-like figures interacting with a pig in Sulawesi dates it to 51,200 years ago. This makes it the earliest known surviving example of representational art and visual storytelling in the world.
“Earliest known” is always an important distinction in anthropology. New studies consistently push back dates and create new questions. Imagine all the things that are underwater. It’s crazy to think that parts of our history may never be known or discovered.
https://thedebrief.org/51000-year-old-cave-art-likely-the-worlds-oldest-may-not-have-been-made-by-humans/
“Earliest known” is always an important distinction in anthropology. New studies consistently push back dates and create new questions. Imagine all the things that are underwater. It’s crazy to think that parts of our history may never be known or discovered.
https://thedebrief.org/51000-year-old-cave-art-likely-the-worlds-oldest-may-not-have-been-made-by-humans/
💭All human social systems in history possessed mechanisms for wealth redistribution, whether violent or peaceful.
The welfare state in the Western world served as a modern example of a redistribution mechanism. However, this era appears to be waning. The failure of wealth distribution has resulted in an aristocracy of politicians who accumulate wealth and remain disconnected from the problems of the remaining 99% people.
A clear example of this disconnection is evident in Europe, where young people struggle to secure housing.
Housing has transformed into a speculative asset controlled by oligopolies, wealthy families, and investment groups, rather than being recognized as a basic need and a right.
People are suffering it in their own skin, and with this, the narratives that have defined Western societies are crumbling.
History teaches us that when these mechanisms for redistribution fail, revolutions arrive.
Note: As of today, blockchain tech is more replicating this system than offering alternatives
The welfare state in the Western world served as a modern example of a redistribution mechanism. However, this era appears to be waning. The failure of wealth distribution has resulted in an aristocracy of politicians who accumulate wealth and remain disconnected from the problems of the remaining 99% people.
A clear example of this disconnection is evident in Europe, where young people struggle to secure housing.
Housing has transformed into a speculative asset controlled by oligopolies, wealthy families, and investment groups, rather than being recognized as a basic need and a right.
People are suffering it in their own skin, and with this, the narratives that have defined Western societies are crumbling.
History teaches us that when these mechanisms for redistribution fail, revolutions arrive.
Note: As of today, blockchain tech is more replicating this system than offering alternatives
New study finds humans may have been in South America 8,000 years earlier than believed.
Imagine living during the Last Glacial Maximum 21,000 years ago, in the harsh and rigid conditions. You’re in South America with your tribe and hungry. You see this giant armadillo (glyptodon) and decide that it’s your meal.
Your tribe works together to corner the animal and distract it. Your most talented marksmen throws a spear and hits the neck, taking it out. You then approach the dead glyptodon and use your knives to cut the meat, cook it with fire, and eat it. The teamwork and successful hunt bonds your tribe and brings you closer together.
https://www.npr.org/2024/07/23/g-s1-12429/giant-armadillo-like-mammal-humans-south-america-human-arrival
Imagine living during the Last Glacial Maximum 21,000 years ago, in the harsh and rigid conditions. You’re in South America with your tribe and hungry. You see this giant armadillo (glyptodon) and decide that it’s your meal.
Your tribe works together to corner the animal and distract it. Your most talented marksmen throws a spear and hits the neck, taking it out. You then approach the dead glyptodon and use your knives to cut the meat, cook it with fire, and eat it. The teamwork and successful hunt bonds your tribe and brings you closer together.
https://www.npr.org/2024/07/23/g-s1-12429/giant-armadillo-like-mammal-humans-south-america-human-arrival
Kids playing in Shibam, a cluster of mud skyscrapers in the heart of Yemen where 1 Yemeni Rial equals 0.004 USD
Eight stone spheres of which the largest is 231 pounds dated to 1266 were found at Kenilworth Castle. They were fired from catapults during a 172-day siege in King Henry III’s reign.
The article states “English Civil War” and at first I imagined Cromwell hurling big rocks at enemy cannon and musket fire in the 1640s.
https://www.popsci.com/science/medieval-catapult-shots/
The article states “English Civil War” and at first I imagined Cromwell hurling big rocks at enemy cannon and musket fire in the 1640s.
https://www.popsci.com/science/medieval-catapult-shots/
Next book I’m reading
Just saw this article and now I am intrigued about the history of Easter Island. I guess there is one theory that they cut down all the trees to build massive stone statues and this triggered population collapse. The researchers in this article have trained ML models on field data and concluded that this collapse theory has no basis in the archaeological record. They believe Easter Island to be a case of how populations adapt to limited resources in a finite place.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/06/we-now-have-even-more-evidence-against-the-ecocide-theory-of-easter-island/
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/06/we-now-have-even-more-evidence-against-the-ecocide-theory-of-easter-island/
Cumulative culture, defined as the accumulation of innovation over generations through social learning allows us to use tech beyond what a single person could invent, and yet the article below is paywalled.
Modern society and the emphasis on the individual makes it so that we desire to get paid for our hard work. If we expend resources to create something we want to receive money in return.
In the Stone Age, you benefited from sharing innovations openly with your tribe because that allowed you to become a stronger, more resourceful tribe. There was no benefit for showing only 5% of your axe you invented and telling your friend he would have to give you something to learn how to make it. You benefitted from your friend knowing how to make the axe immediately so that you could all defend yourselves and acquire food/safety as fast as possible.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2319175121
Modern society and the emphasis on the individual makes it so that we desire to get paid for our hard work. If we expend resources to create something we want to receive money in return.
In the Stone Age, you benefited from sharing innovations openly with your tribe because that allowed you to become a stronger, more resourceful tribe. There was no benefit for showing only 5% of your axe you invented and telling your friend he would have to give you something to learn how to make it. You benefitted from your friend knowing how to make the axe immediately so that you could all defend yourselves and acquire food/safety as fast as possible.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2319175121