HARARI'S DISSENT: Lady or tiger? Rabbit or duck?

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

In search of a new paradigm:
Around the world, the human experiment is rife with the ugliest kinds of tribal and national warfare.

Here at home, our national discourse spills with trivial tribal stampedes, often built around the age-old desire to "kill the pig." Our journalists display an aversion to serious topics, and almost no analytical skills at all.

Our elite logicians? They've disappeared into the mists of their own guild's specialized projects.

Despite these embarrassing manifestations, we humans, at least in the western world, tend to cling to a traditional self-understanding. Despite the spectacular dumbness around us, we secretly cling to this view:
"Man [sic] is the rational animal."
That portrait, as commonly understood, has proven quite hard to shake. In the present day, we frequently see that our upper-end journalists have gone to the finest schools. This tends to reinforce the belief that we're living in the most rational of all possible worlds.

Sadly enough, we aren't! Our upper-end journalists spend their time killing the (latest) pig, often based on things they said, did or thought when they were 19 years old.

Our journalists care about wardrobe and hair and about the signals a candidate sends from the way she eats fried chicken. They deeply care about who may have had sex with whom, though only once, as recently as 2006.

They know that they must never tell us about the looting involved in our nation's health care. They flee from basic data about basic issues, much as vampires flee from the cross.

Few practices could be dumber, but this is the stuff of our "national discourse." And when's the last time you saw one of our many professors of logic step forward with clarification or words of advice based upon his or her vast store of erudition?

Dearest darlings, it just isn't done! Our professors of logic left the world many long years ago. The greatest among them are trying to figure how 2 plus 2 can equal 2.

We humans! We can conceive of ourselves as "the rational animal" only because our rational impulses and analytical skills are so thoroughly missing in action. And then, along comes Professor Harari with a bit of a new attitude.

Rather, Harari has offered a new paradigm—with a portrait of the human race as it now exists, in which the triumph of our one remaining human species was built upon "gossip and "fiction." Also, upon a strong dollop of intolerance, of the kind observed all over the world, and all through the tribal wars which now rule our national "press corps."

Why did our species, Homo sapiens, survive where other humans groups disappeared? We'll reduce the portrait drawn in Harari's first chapter to these basic points:
HARARI (page 5-18): Homo sapiens has kept hidden an even more disturbing secret. Not only do we possess an abundance of uncivilized cousins, once upon a time we had quite a few brothers and sisters as well. We are used to thinking about ourselves as the only humans, because for the last 10,000 years, our species has indeed been the only human species around. Yet the real meaning of the word human is "an animal belonging to the genus Homo," and there used to be many other species of this genus besides Homo sapiens.

[...]

The members of some of these species were massive and others were dwarves. Some were fearsome hunters and others meek plant-gatherers. Some lived only on a single island, while many roamed over continents. But all of them belonged to the genus Homo. They were all human beings.

It’s a common fallacy to envision these species as arranged in a straight line of descent, with Ergaster begetting Erectus, Erectus begetting the Neanderthals, and the Neanderthals evolving into us. This linear model gives the mistaken impression that at any particular moment only one type of human inhabited the earth, and that all earlier species were merely older models of ourselves. The truth is that from about 2 million years ago until around 10,000 years ago, the world was home, at one and the same time, to several human species. And why not? Today there are many species of foxes, bears and pigs. The earth of a hundred millennia ago was walked by at least six different species of man. It’s our current exclusivity, not that multi-species past, that is peculiar—and perhaps incriminating. As we will shortly see, we Sapiens have good reasons to repress the memory of our siblings.

[...]

But if the Neanderthals, Denisovans and other human species didn’t merge with Sapiens, why did they vanish? One possibility is that Homo sapiens drove them to extinction. Imagine a Sapiens band reaching a Balkan valley where Neanderthals had lived for hundreds of thousands of years. The newcomers began to hunt the deer and gather the nuts and berries that were the Neanderthals’ traditional staples. Sapiens were more proficient hunters and gatherers—thanks to better technology and superior social skills—so they multiplied and spread. The less resourceful Neanderthals found it increasingly difficult to feed themselves. Their population dwindled and they slowly died out, except perhaps for one or two members who joined their Sapiens neighbors.

Another possibility is that competition for resources flared up into violence and genocide. Tolerance is not a Sapiens trademark. In modern times, a small difference in skin color, dialect or religion has been enough to prompt one group of Sapiens to set about exterminating another group. Would ancient Sapiens have been more tolerant towards an entirely different human species? It may well be that when Sapiens encountered Neanderthals, the result was the first and most significant ethnic-cleansing campaign in history.
In Harari's less than glorious portrait, our species drove other human groups into the sea. He says it may have been "the first and most significant ethnic-cleansing campaign in history," an "incriminating" example of "genocide."

In Harari's portrait, we modern members of Homo sapiens "have good reasons to repress the memory of our siblings." He refers to the half dozen or so human species which became extinct once our own species wandered north out of Africa about 70,000 years ago.

According to Harari, our species isn't long on tolerance. Of course, anyone who watches "cable news" has become aware of that fact as the Maddows and the Hannitys involve themselves in the endless killing of the other tribe's pigs, to the exclusion of everything else.

(Don't miss Maddow's podcast on Spiro T. Agnew! Also, don't expect to hear a word about the way you, and everyone else, are being looted in the arena of health care! On gong-show, corporate cable news, it simply isn't done!)

According to Harari, the eventual triumph of our species wasn't based on superlative "rational" powers. It was based on the acquisition of two new abilities—the ability to "gossip" about people not present, and the ability to invent compelling "fictions" which will be adopted, ardently, by ever wider groups.

Did Homo sapiens conquer the world through employment of gossip and fiction? We can't answer that question. Meanwhile, Harari's explanations are slender, as is inevitable in a book which seeks to cover the whole history of human existence.

That said, our public discourse, such as it is, runs on gossip and the adoption of sweeping group fictions. Or do you still think that Al Gore said he invented the Internet, as every "great ape" in the national press corps told us for years on end?

Children are dead all over Iraq. Do you believe that Gore said that?

It's natural for us in our own liberal tribe to think that Harari's unpleasant portrait could only apply to the great apes Over There. It could only apply to the knuckle-dragging, low-brow inhabitants of the Fox News Channel's realm.

In fact, our own tribe has been running on tribal group fictions for a rather long time now. Or do you still believe that the fact that Trayvon Martin was carrying Skittles had anything to do, at all, with the way he died that night?

Did you feel edified when you saw our tribal thought leaders pushing that irrelevant fact? Over and over, again and again, it's how our own tribe works now.

The spectacular dumbness of our own liberal tribe has been one of our principle subjects for several years now. We regard it as the biggest story in national media over the past dozen (or so) years.

In his best-selling book, Harari paints a picture of our species' origins which stresses the role of gossip and sweeping group fiction. And gossip and fiction are the twin meats on which our nation's sad enterprise feeds.

Is Professor Harari right about the way our species came to power? We have no earthly idea. Neither does anyone else, even including Bill Gates.

That said, we offer Professor Harari's book as a new paradigm—as a possible framework of understanding as we look out at the world.

Aristotle is said to have said that we are "the rational animal." It's very, very hard to square that assessment with the typical work of our nation's top pundits—but that picture has long had a hold on the way we humans see ourselves, if only "from afar."

Aristotle is said to have said that we're "the rational animal." Harari almost seems to say that we are the animal built upon gossip and fiction. Stated another way, we're the animal which kills the pig based upon tribal script.

Have you ever read the New York Times? If so, do you fail to see that Harari offers a compelling new way of seeing ourselves and our conduct?

Let's not waste our time explaining the notion of "paradigms." Sometimes, what looked like a duck may suddenly come to look more like a rabbit. With that in mind, we'll suggest that you try stepping back from Aristotle's fowl to picture Harari's hare.

Which are we—the duck or the rabbit, the lady or the tiger? In truth, it's very, very hard for us to see who and what we are.

"Rational animals" don't stage stampedes about the conduct of public officials when they were 19 years old. But that's the sort of thing our own allegedly "rational" tribe was doing all last week. (More on that tomorrow.)

Are we humans the rational animal? Given our species' endless conduct, the fact that the question can even be raised tells us how plainly we aren't.

Our journalists run on gossip and fiction. As they do, members of the various tribes tend to join the latest chase. And as this endless nonsense unfolds, where are the brilliant academics who should, in theory, be stepping forward to challenge this low-IQ conduct?

Next week, we'll start to answer that question. As we do, the later Wittgenstein will signal from the near distance. But then, it's all anthropology now, as we told you last year.

As we continue down that road, we'll add to the biography of the weakness of our human minds. Our human minds are strikingly weak—unless we decide that we want to continue seeing ourselves from afar.

Next week: Horwich's complaint

A note on the lexicon: "Seeing ourselves from afar?"

For background on that useful expression, you can just click here. It involves a trip to the Kalahari with Marlin Perkins along.

22 comments:

  1. "But that's the sort of thing our own allegedly "rational" tribe was doing all last week."

    Bob, dear. Your tribe is a zombie cult.

    There's nothing rational or even "allegedly rational" about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My feelings are hurt. Can I declare a National Emergency, now.

      Delete
    2. You sure can, dembot. Go to the senior nurse in your asylum, and declare. She'll take care of it.

      Delete
  2. I assume that Bob is referring to the Borking of Naomi Reo. Not only is it based on things she wrote when she was 19 years old, it's based on misrepresentations of these writings. BTW, being a minority doesn't prevent Democrats from viciously slandering her.
    https://quillette.com/2019/02/12/borking-neomi-rao/

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think I'll have the duck; the lady will have the hasenfeffer. We'll take the leftovers home for the tiger.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aristotle is said to have said that we are "the rational animal."

    At least that much is true, but only because you're the only one saying it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It’s a common fallacy to envision these species as arranged in a straight line of descent, with Ergaster begetting Erectus, Erectus begetting the Neanderthals, and the Neanderthals evolving into us. This linear model gives the mistaken impression that at any particular moment only one type of human inhabited the earth,.... (Harari)

    It would be more accurate for Harari to say that he got the mistaken impression that the "linear model" implies that only one of the line was extant "at any particular moment." There's no reason that mother and daughter species can't flourish at the same time particularly if they occupy different environmental niches.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. “There's no reason that mother and daughter species can't flourish at the same time particularly if they occupy different environmental niches.”

      That’s true enough, if you’re talking about bird species occupying a single island and morphing into other variants that can take advantage of those niches. Different species of birds get along swimmingly, as my bird feeders show every day (at least in wintertime).

      Modern primates are different, because they occupy every niche. And it seems that our final iteration has made sure that we’re the only species left, excepting ancient couplings. Q.E.D.

      Not arguing here really, just talking.

      Leroy

      Delete
  6. Let's not waste our time explaining the notion of "paradigms."

    Good idea. At least until you've explained why you're wasting time on a history professor's ignorant speculations about our species when you don't care whether those speculations make any sense.

    ReplyDelete
  7. “Did you feel edified when you saw our tribal thought leaders pushing that irrelevant fact?”
    ...

    “The spectacular dumbness of our own liberal tribe”

    I still find this confusing. Somerby is apparently saying that certain media people are “our tribal thought leaders.” I don’t believe that is true.

    And when he says “our own liberal tribe” is dumb, is that all of “us” liberals?

    One of his examples is “do you still think that Al Gore said he invented the Internet”?

    That may be something thing that was said in the media, but the vast majority of actual liberals did not believe that.

    I have no idea what “liberals” believed about Trayvon Martin’s Skittles, but it strikes me as stupid to assume, as Somerby does, that liberals as a tribe all believed whatever the media was saying about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @3:07 You are engaging in the same fallacy as Somerby, and the one that einsam criticizes.

      Somerby keeps pushing this fallacious thinking, so it isn't surprising that you feel comfortable aping it here.

      Delete
    2. "but it strikes me as stupid to assume, as Somerby does, that liberals as a tribe all believed whatever the media was saying about it."

      That, actually, is the most charitable assumption.

      The other possibility is that some of "the tribe" do NOT believe their tribal bullshit, and yet keep repeating, loudly, their ritual denunciations. "MAGA did it! MAGA did it!" Just to incite hatred for their political opponents.

      Delete
  8. ... we Sapiens have good reasons to repress the memory of our siblings.

    Wait, what? How do you repress memories of things that might have happened thousands of years ago?

    Hell, I've still got to deal with the guilt of wasting time reading and commenting on this blog.

    Some of you need to feel guilty about responding to Mao and David, this blog's village troll and village idiot, respectively.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It’s sad that Bob’s urging of "liberals" to see "The Others" (by which he means "conservatives/Republicans”" as individuals, and not some undifferentiated tribal mass of automatons, is undermined by his own immense hypocrisy, by which he treats "liberals" in exactly that way.

    The fact that it attracts idiot trolls to his blog, well, that seems to be a feature, rather than a bug.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Be fair. TDH has attracted one troll (Mao) and one Idiot (David).

      Delete
  10. "As we will shortly see, we Sapiens have good reasons to repress the memory of our siblings."

    The main reason we supposedly repress memory is that we have no memory of these so-called siblings -- we weren't alive then. We weren't around to see them and we didn't interact with them. We have no historical record of them, no writings about when they were around because they predated human literacy. We have no cave drawings of them because they predated that too. In fact, it is only recently that we have any record, any proof that homo sapiens and neaderthals occupied the same territories.

    This idea that homo sapiens wiped out everyone else, instead of the less successful species dying out because they couldn't survive in their environments, is massive speculation. The idea of genocide is projection on Harari's part. Why might an Israeli historian project genocide onto his subjects? Gee, I don't know. I just don't know.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi everybody. I recently saw a testimony about Chief Dr Lucky in a blog I visit for relationship and dating counseling problems because i had been having serious issues with my boyfriend and we had been dating for six months, he just suddenly changed, he wasn't returning my calls,he started cheating,he was hurting me in many ways i never thought possible and I just thought I should try it*maybe out of desperation of some sort*..and I contacted Chief Dr Lucky ..At first everything felt dreamy and unbelievable, his consultations and solution was a little bit easy and strange and I was scared a little cause I heard read and heard lots of stories of fake spell casters,scams and i never really believed in magic..I played along with a little hope and and faith and I sent some few stuffs after everything and it worked like a miracle,everything went to a while new direction,it was and is amazing...I guess it was all good faith that made me read That particular post that faithful day..I hope he could help other people too like he did me...I did a little and I got everything I wanted and wished for*my husband,my family and my life back. E-mail: Cheifdrlucky@gmail.com or contact him on whats App him +2348132777335 Website :http://chiefdrluckysolutionhome.website2.me/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Can't still believe that i got cured from Genital Herpes through herbal treatment from Dr LUCKY  who I met through the internet, I actually couldn't believe it at first because it sounded impossible to me knowing how far I have gone just to get rid of it. Dr LUCKY send me his medicine which I took as instructed and here I am living a happy life once again, a big thanks to Dr LUCKY , I am sure there are many herbal doctors out there but Dr LUCKY did it for me, contact him on Email him; { drluckyherbalcure@gmail.com }  

    ReplyDelete
  13. How I Got My Ex Husband Back..Am so excited to share my testimony of a real spell caster who brought my husband back to me. My husband and I have been married for about 6 years now. We were happily married with two kids, a boy and a girl. 3 months ago, I started to notice some strange behavior from him and a few weeks later I found out that my husband is seeing someone else. He started coming home late from work, he hardly care about me or the kids anymore, Sometimes he goes out and doesn't even come back home for about 2-3 days. I did all I could to rectify this problem but all to no avail. I became very worried and needed help. As I was browsing through the internet one day, I came across a website that suggested that Dr Aluya can help solve marital problems, restore broken relationships and so on. So, I felt I should give him a try. I contacted him and and told him my problems and he told me what to do and i did it and he did a spell for me. 48 hours later, my husband came to me and apologized for the wrongs he did and promise never to do it again. Ever since then, everything has returned back to normal. I and my family are living together happily again.. All thanks to Dr Aluya Powerful Love Spell that really works. If you have any problem contact him and i guarantee you that he will help you. He will not disappoint you. Email him at: aluya.48hoursspelltemple@gmail.com. or whatsapp him on: +2348110493039 

    ReplyDelete
  14. I has suffered for Human papillomavirus HPV) for 2years, I was given some tablets at the hospital but I refused to take it, They said I have to be on it for life so I don't want take a drugs everyday for life. No point in taking medicine everyday when u won't get cure from it and I was advice to seek for natural herbal cure, after some time I found dr onokun is the most trustful herbalist that have herbs to cure wicked symptom's,I emailed dr onokun, for 2weeks been his patient he cured my (HPV) with his herbal. I only used his natural herbs for two weeks it was 100% cure. I'm not (HPV) patient anymore. I'm happy about it i finally got cured out of this mess been in my body for 2years. I also recommend you if you're living with (HPV) or herpes symptoms i also want you to be free contact dr onokun with the email attach to my post. Dronokunherbalcure@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I was diagnosed of herpes virus, I have tried all possible means to get cure but all my effort proved abortive, until a friend of mine introduced me to a herbal doctor called Dr Agaba, who prepare herbal medicine to cure all kind of diseases including herpes virus (Herpes), when i contacted this herbal doctor via email, he sent me herpes virus herbal medicine via courier service, when i received the herbal medicine he gave me step by step instructions on how to apply it, when i applied it as instructed i was totally cured from the virus within 3 weeks of usage. Contact this great herbal doctor today to get your cure. 
    Via Email: Dragabasolutionhome@gmail.com or WhatApp: +2349074536486    

    ReplyDelete