4 ms·

> We evolved to do a lot of things we no longer tolerate Such as?

• ben_w 5y ago
  Food hygiene is the big one, in this case. We used to eat whatever we could hunt and kill (or gather) without knowing what bacterial infections looked like, much less how to eliminate the pathogens. Even cleaning bowls and cutlery is only possible after the invention of those things, and soap is much more recent, circa 5000 BC according to a quick Google (and then apparently used for curing ailments rather than as a general thing? IDK how much to trust first hit on the web).
  • 1_player 5y ago
    Do you think you'd die if you were to eat with your hands off the floor? Rich Western citizen probably have weaker immune systems than people living in the middle of the jungle, but they're all the same species, it's not a matter of "we've evolved to need to eat with a clean fork." Even the Rich Western person is much more resilient than you think they might be. You can survive, perhaps not thrive, off half rotten carrion if need be. Evolution works on much bigger timescales.
    • ben_w 5y ago
      > Do you think you'd die if you were to eat with your hands off the floor? No, that’s putting words into my mouth. I’m saying we won’t tolerate bad hygiene, not that it will kill us, and our floors are generally quite clean these days anyway. Food poisoning is however a thing, and from what I’ve heard (never had it myself) quite unpleasant.