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“debunked” is a rather strong word to use here since it’s a theory that’s inherently untestable - the reality being that humans likely used a variety of hunting

“debunked” is a rather strong word to use here since it’s a theory that’s inherently untestable - the reality being that humans likely used a variety of hunting methods, and since that’s one that could have been used, it’s likely it was used.

dghlsakjg 2y ago
I never said debunked(?) It is untestable, sure, but some of the main arguments in the proposed theory are based on untruths, and none of the evidence that we would expect to have found to support it being widespread has been found yet. We have found plenty of evidence pointing to humans using other hunting strategies, so it seems odd that there is no evidence pointing to persistence hunting and that the strategy that we evolved so many traits for would have died out in all but one or two remaining primitive cultures. Simply put, a group of humans gambling 10s of thousands of calories each in order to possibly capture a single large animal miles away from the rest of the tribe is an absolutely horrendous survival strategy.
- svieira 2y ago
  Funnily enough, when you put people into primitive situations it is one of the techniques that they adopt when they can't make better things work: > Lacking guns and even bows, they could hunt only by digging traps or pursuing prey across the mountains until the animals collapsed from exhaustion. Dmitry built up astonishing endurance, and could hunt barefoot in winter, sometimes returning to the hut after several days, having slept in the open in 40 degrees of frost, a young elk across his shoulders. https://theweek.com/articles/468207/russian-family-that-lived-isolation-40-years https://theweek.com/articles/468207/russian-family-that-live... and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lykov_family https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lykov_family
  - dghlsakjg 2y ago
    Again, I'm not saying that humans can't persistence hunt. I'm saying that there is not a lot of evidence of it being widespread, or that it was a driver of human anatomy in evolution. The theory is based on a handful of papers, some with major bad assumptions, and a few anecdotes. The arguments against it being widespread or common are just as strong or stronger than the arguments for. My objection is just that the Outdoor magazine and Joe Rogan set like to cite it as if it is more or less settled.
    - JohnMakin 2y ago
      You are right and I apologize - My original post made it sound I believe it was a driver of human evolution. I do not actuay believe that, but I do believe it was a factor. it’s very very difficult to prove either way and I do think the science has not been decisive either way.

dghlsakjg 2y ago

I never said debunked(?) It is untestable, sure, but some of the main arguments in the proposed theory are based on untruths, and none of the evidence that we would expect to have found to support it being widespread has been found yet. We have found plenty of evidence pointing to humans using other hunting strategies, so it seems odd that there is no evidence pointing to persistence hunting and that the strategy that we evolved so many traits for would have died out in all but one or two remaining primitive cultures. Simply put, a group of humans gambling 10s of thousands of calories each in order to possibly capture a single large animal miles away from the rest of the tribe is an absolutely horrendous survival strategy.

svieira 2y ago
Funnily enough, when you put people into primitive situations it is one of the techniques that they adopt when they can't make better things work: > Lacking guns and even bows, they could hunt only by digging traps or pursuing prey across the mountains until the animals collapsed from exhaustion. Dmitry built up astonishing endurance, and could hunt barefoot in winter, sometimes returning to the hut after several days, having slept in the open in 40 degrees of frost, a young elk across his shoulders. https://theweek.com/articles/468207/russian-family-that-lived-isolation-40-years https://theweek.com/articles/468207/russian-family-that-live... and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lykov_family https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lykov_family
- dghlsakjg 2y ago
  Again, I'm not saying that humans can't persistence hunt. I'm saying that there is not a lot of evidence of it being widespread, or that it was a driver of human anatomy in evolution. The theory is based on a handful of papers, some with major bad assumptions, and a few anecdotes. The arguments against it being widespread or common are just as strong or stronger than the arguments for. My objection is just that the Outdoor magazine and Joe Rogan set like to cite it as if it is more or less settled.
  - JohnMakin 2y ago
    You are right and I apologize - My original post made it sound I believe it was a driver of human evolution. I do not actuay believe that, but I do believe it was a factor. it’s very very difficult to prove either way and I do think the science has not been decisive either way.