4 ms·

To me that is just a semantic problem: do we name them "strongest, wisest, winner of battles wolf" or just "alpha wolf"? Doesn't care who "invented" the term, i

To me that is just a semantic problem: do we name them "strongest, wisest, winner of battles wolf" or just "alpha wolf"? Doesn't care who "invented" the term, it is a symbol to mean "the one above the others", a symbol of hierarchy, not a symbol of "Alpha wolf is inherently different than other wolves because of his inherent alphaness"

setr 6y ago
You seem to have completely missed the point? The alpha, or “strongest, wisest, winner of battles wolf” may exist, but it doesn’t define the pecking order — at least in wild populations. Like human three-generation households, the patriarch/matriarch are the grandparents, irrespective of whether they can hold their ground in mortal combat. Though I agree, the notion and usefulness of “alpha” remains unchanged for non-family oriented groupings, of both wolf and man.
ricc 6y ago
Did you read the article? There is no “strongest, wisest, winner-of-battles wolf” in wild packs. There is only “daddy wolf” or “mommy wolf”.
- Gravyness 6y ago
  Exactly, daddy wolf and mommy wolf are alpha wolves. The issue is just who to assign the "alpha" term to: Alpha wolf is the top of the hierarchy, not the strongest. This post just wants to redefine the "top" wolf, because of specifics of his knowledge: that strength is not the defining factor of alpha wolves, which is fine, but it seems to be like a grammar nazi yelling "well, actually, it's spelled xxx". If a wolf can't keep up a fight then it is bound to be killed unless every time he gets into a fight 10 other wolves defend him, in which case he's not weak anymore: he won a numbers game, or a social game, whatever, in other words, he's strong, the because is irrelevant, but in this case it is because he probably has a family and/or is useful to other wolves. In the end, the alpha wolf is an alpha wolf because he's resourceful. It could be a purple wolf, maybe you want to call it monkey wolf, I don't care, he is still the 'top of the hierarchy' wolf and I will simplify this to "alpha".
  - ricc 6y ago
    > In the end, the alpha wolf is an alpha wolf because he's resourceful. I don't think so... In your context, it's simply alpha wolf = parent wolf, and not necessarily parent wolf = resourceful/strongest/wisest wolf. Most of the time, the "alpha wolves" just happened to be parents, nothing more, nothing less.
hackeraccount 6y ago
This is probably a failure of the article. Admittedly an explanation of the common view of the "Alpha" was in the title but maybe it would have been better to start with the current understanding of how wolf packs work and put the origins of older views in the middle or the end.

setr 6y ago

You seem to have completely missed the point? The alpha, or “strongest, wisest, winner of battles wolf” may exist, but it doesn’t define the pecking order — at least in wild populations. Like human three-generation households, the patriarch/matriarch are the grandparents, irrespective of whether they can hold their ground in mortal combat. Though I agree, the notion and usefulness of “alpha” remains unchanged for non-family oriented groupings, of both wolf and man.

ricc 6y ago

Did you read the article? There is no “strongest, wisest, winner-of-battles wolf” in wild packs. There is only “daddy wolf” or “mommy wolf”.

Gravyness 6y ago
Exactly, daddy wolf and mommy wolf are alpha wolves. The issue is just who to assign the "alpha" term to: Alpha wolf is the top of the hierarchy, not the strongest. This post just wants to redefine the "top" wolf, because of specifics of his knowledge: that strength is not the defining factor of alpha wolves, which is fine, but it seems to be like a grammar nazi yelling "well, actually, it's spelled xxx". If a wolf can't keep up a fight then it is bound to be killed unless every time he gets into a fight 10 other wolves defend him, in which case he's not weak anymore: he won a numbers game, or a social game, whatever, in other words, he's strong, the because is irrelevant, but in this case it is because he probably has a family and/or is useful to other wolves. In the end, the alpha wolf is an alpha wolf because he's resourceful. It could be a purple wolf, maybe you want to call it monkey wolf, I don't care, he is still the 'top of the hierarchy' wolf and I will simplify this to "alpha".
- ricc 6y ago
  > In the end, the alpha wolf is an alpha wolf because he's resourceful. I don't think so... In your context, it's simply alpha wolf = parent wolf, and not necessarily parent wolf = resourceful/strongest/wisest wolf. Most of the time, the "alpha wolves" just happened to be parents, nothing more, nothing less.

hackeraccount 6y ago

This is probably a failure of the article. Admittedly an explanation of the common view of the "Alpha" was in the title but maybe it would have been better to start with the current understanding of how wolf packs work and put the origins of older views in the middle or the end.