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> "For more than 95% of our evolutionary history we lived as hunter-gatherers. Therefore, contemporary hunter-gatherer societies can offer clues as to whether t

> "For more than 95% of our evolutionary history we lived as hunter-gatherers. Therefore, contemporary hunter-gatherer societies can offer clues as to whether there are certain child-rearing systems to which infants, and their mothers, may be psychologically adapted," You can cherry pick anything that fits a narrative. This narrative advocates for more funding for state sponsored daycare, which does not resemble anything close to the 'caregiving' that was going on in hunter-gatherer communities. I bet 95% of our evolutionary history also involved bashing in skulls over arguments regarding food or resources, mass rape, living in caves, and not wearing clothes. Should we return to that too? The difference between those things and the example given in the article? Fortune 500 companies don't get more workers. Big corporations can pass the buck to taxpayers to fund childcare. Naïve activists will promote this in the vein of 'womens rights' as if dumping your kid at a state sponsored daycare is empowering or something.

Podgajski 3y ago
It could also be used to do away with the capitalist system for more anarchistic one and instead rely on community rather than on the state. In any case it all points to the fact that the way our society is set up, is creating a lack of well-being among humanity.
- deleted 3y ago
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- robwwilliams 3y ago
  Disagree with your last statement. We can each look back on our own childhoods and make a local and biased assessment. I loved my childhood and all of the experiences. I thank both the modern American social structure and my parents. Could it have been improved. Well sure, probably—but that is not an experiment I can run.
robwwilliams 3y ago
Interesting work but yes, trying to extrapolate to best courses of action for child care in technologically advanced cultures should not be the focus of the discussion. Almost every epoch and population will have common and idiosyncratic features. Why not look back on child care 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, or 3000 years ago in any group/deme of humans? The variability will be striking even within any one population and will depend in large part on class structure, rank, and mean family size. Patterns of raising children will be all over physical, social, and behavioral maps. The groups studied here are primarily forest-dwelling hunter-gatherers in the western Congo region—-what used to be referred to as Pygmy populations (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_peoples https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_peoples). Fascinating topic but not of much policy relevance.
deleted 3y ago
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saiya-jin 3y ago
You realize that off-loading overwhelmed parents even a bit is already a massive step in positive direction for literally everybody including companies and taxman, and kindergartens can help a lot. You can be much happier and better parent when rested rather than being semi-constantly on the verge of breakdown. Who hasn't walked this valley with at least 2 kids can't really comprehend the topic appropriately. Apart maybe of those suffering long term insomnia combined with some serious stressors in their lives.
- seec 3y ago
  That would also be true if every family had a parent that mostly had free time. Then you just need to know more than one family in the world et voilà! It would cost way less money to everyone, while allowing more diversity and more actual ressource to be used for the child instead of stupid bureaucracy... But it looks like you are deep into communist propaganda, as if a third-party institution run by a government would be empowering anything instead of completely destroying everything, including the society it stands on...
  - saiya-jin 3y ago
    No need for baseless insults, that's primitive behavior. I actually grew up under communism and hate it with passion since I saw first hand how it destroyed lives of my parents and grandparents. Something spoiled western kids with unbelievably easy life like apparently you will never comprehend. Rest of your post doesn't make much sense, you clearly have no clue about topic discussed.
    - seec 3y ago
      So, you actually admit that your viewpoint is clearly corrupted by communism! No matter how much you say you hate it, it is bound to leave marks in how you think. So now that we have determined that I was actually spot on and that it wasn't an insult at all, we can deal with your insult; ironically you accuse me of insulting you and in the same sentence call me a primitive. Then you follow with insults on spoiled westen kid, yet you have no clue how much I had to work in my youth nor have any idea of how much collectivism I had to suffer. It turns out you do not need to live in a fully declared communist country to have a similar experience but since you do not want to understand and instead let your emotions talk, you cannot make that realization. If there is primitive behavior in this conversation, it is you unable to handle the emotions caused by the truth. I am sorry you were hurt by my words but it doesn't seem like you are still defending communist ideals even though you are out of it. Not surprising, Stockholm syndrome and all that...

Podgajski 3y ago

It could also be used to do away with the capitalist system for more anarchistic one and instead rely on community rather than on the state. In any case it all points to the fact that the way our society is set up, is creating a lack of well-being among humanity.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
robwwilliams 3y ago
Disagree with your last statement. We can each look back on our own childhoods and make a local and biased assessment. I loved my childhood and all of the experiences. I thank both the modern American social structure and my parents. Could it have been improved. Well sure, probably—but that is not an experiment I can run.

robwwilliams 3y ago

Interesting work but yes, trying to extrapolate to best courses of action for child care in technologically advanced cultures should not be the focus of the discussion. Almost every epoch and population will have common and idiosyncratic features. Why not look back on child care 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, or 3000 years ago in any group/deme of humans? The variability will be striking even within any one population and will depend in large part on class structure, rank, and mean family size. Patterns of raising children will be all over physical, social, and behavioral maps. The groups studied here are primarily forest-dwelling hunter-gatherers in the western Congo region—-what used to be referred to as Pygmy populations (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_peoples https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_peoples). Fascinating topic but not of much policy relevance.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

saiya-jin 3y ago

You realize that off-loading overwhelmed parents even a bit is already a massive step in positive direction for literally everybody including companies and taxman, and kindergartens can help a lot. You can be much happier and better parent when rested rather than being semi-constantly on the verge of breakdown. Who hasn't walked this valley with at least 2 kids can't really comprehend the topic appropriately. Apart maybe of those suffering long term insomnia combined with some serious stressors in their lives.

seec 3y ago
That would also be true if every family had a parent that mostly had free time. Then you just need to know more than one family in the world et voilà! It would cost way less money to everyone, while allowing more diversity and more actual ressource to be used for the child instead of stupid bureaucracy... But it looks like you are deep into communist propaganda, as if a third-party institution run by a government would be empowering anything instead of completely destroying everything, including the society it stands on...
- saiya-jin 3y ago
  No need for baseless insults, that's primitive behavior. I actually grew up under communism and hate it with passion since I saw first hand how it destroyed lives of my parents and grandparents. Something spoiled western kids with unbelievably easy life like apparently you will never comprehend. Rest of your post doesn't make much sense, you clearly have no clue about topic discussed.
  - seec 3y ago
    So, you actually admit that your viewpoint is clearly corrupted by communism! No matter how much you say you hate it, it is bound to leave marks in how you think. So now that we have determined that I was actually spot on and that it wasn't an insult at all, we can deal with your insult; ironically you accuse me of insulting you and in the same sentence call me a primitive. Then you follow with insults on spoiled westen kid, yet you have no clue how much I had to work in my youth nor have any idea of how much collectivism I had to suffer. It turns out you do not need to live in a fully declared communist country to have a similar experience but since you do not want to understand and instead let your emotions talk, you cannot make that realization. If there is primitive behavior in this conversation, it is you unable to handle the emotions caused by the truth. I am sorry you were hurt by my words but it doesn't seem like you are still defending communist ideals even though you are out of it. Not surprising, Stockholm syndrome and all that...