Literally had put the book down at this section when I saw this post. Was like seeing double.
That said, I think the “who domesticated whom” question is a little bit of a farce in itself. In reality, there’s no agent making informed decisions to domesticate; it’s the result of two adjacent processes benefiting from being around each other, and over time, variations in the communities that fit the environment better sticking around. “Simple” evolution. Ascribing agency to it seems a little silly.
I really like how the first farmers were just “let’s seed these banks that are flooded every season and wait, because we sure as fuck are NOT going to till the soil, fill it with manure and keep the weeds away, especially when I can just walk around for 5 minutes and get some stuff to eat”
Dave Graeber and David Wengrow would like a word…
Literally had put the book down at this section when I saw this post. Was like seeing double.
That said, I think the “who domesticated whom” question is a little bit of a farce in itself. In reality, there’s no agent making informed decisions to domesticate; it’s the result of two adjacent processes benefiting from being around each other, and over time, variations in the communities that fit the environment better sticking around. “Simple” evolution. Ascribing agency to it seems a little silly.
I really like how the first farmers were just “let’s seed these banks that are flooded every season and wait, because we sure as fuck are NOT going to till the soil, fill it with manure and keep the weeds away, especially when I can just walk around for 5 minutes and get some stuff to eat”
Which one? I’ll have it sent over right away.