<< The whole of
page 231 (The Fossil Trail) is talking about how many taxonomic species
fossil man should be divided into. This is quite a different question from
whether or not they engaged in any kind of activity which might be
classified as human. >>
Not really. The quote appears in his summary chapter, "Where Are We?" which
deals with the entire problem.<<
Jim, if you look at what I said, I said that page 231 (which is in his
summary chapter) dealt with how many taxonomic species of hominids there are.
How can you say, "Not Really"? I repeat, page 231 is dealing with the
taxonomic position, not with the human-ness of hominids. While Tattersall
says lots of other things in that chapter, on page 231 he was saying what I
said he said!
You write:
>>You can skip to the end of the chapter, at page
246, and respond to the following:
"Homo sapiens is EMPHATICALLY NOT an organism that DOES what its predecessors
DID, only a little better..." ["Does" and "Did" mean ACTIVITY].
Here, I will grant you your point about Tattersall's view of humanity. You
would have done better to quote that entire paragraph in support of your
position.
But, Tattersall has Tattersall's opinions based on the data. This does not
mean Tattersall is correct just because you WANT to believe him. If the
change in mankind's behavior is so great at that time in the distant past why
are there still people's on earth who live essentially as the Neanderthal's
lived? Yes, their stone tools are different, but stone tool types do not
define humanity. They leave their dead to the scavengers; they do not produce
great universities; or medical break-throughs. Their societies have been very
static for thousands and maybe even tens of thousands of years. What is wrong
with those folks that they have not realized that they have had this
something "enigmatic" put in them?(to use your term)
When you define humanity by their cultural products, you inadvertently raise
questions like the one above. There is nothing wrong with those folks except
that their culture or environment did not encourage inventiveness. Their
children raised in our society are as smart (or smarter) than we. They are
fully human.
glenn