The word picture you've made up doesn't remotely resemble anything I've read about a wide variety of indigenous cultures. It's as much a caricature as is the No

The word picture you've made up doesn't remotely resemble anything I've read about a wide variety of indigenous cultures. It's as much a caricature as is the Noble Savage. I don't have a horse in the race, which is a silly one in any case. We are where we are and global civilisation can only be unpicked via cataclysm (which is a by no means remote possibility). And one can still see the human good in other cultures without wanting to abandon your own. I personally wouldn't be of that much use in a more communal society. But I see no harm in starting with at least a modicum of knowledge, interpretive charity, and curiosity. When did the latter in particular become so undervalued in our society, as it seems to be on HN when this subject comes up?