On Mon, 19 Jun 2000, Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
> First, new technologies may produce benefits, but they may also have
> unforeseen negative side effects. What may appear as a technological
> benefit not, may be the curese of tomorrow. A textbook example comes fro
> the colonization of American continent some 13 thousand years ago. The
> people who arrived here from Asia developed technological advancements that
> tranformed them into efficient hunters. But that initial effciency turned
> out to be a major disadavantage in the long run. Being efficient hunters
> they caused the extinction of all large mamals suitable for domestication.
I still never understand this assertion. There sure were a lot of turkeys and buffalo left when the Europeans got here. What made them by nature unsuitable for domestication? They're domesticated now.
It would neaten things up if culture were entirely determined by environment, broadly defined. But it just isn't so. Every culture makes choices.
Michael
__________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com