Charles Darwin Descent of Man 1871:
"The primeval man aboriginally lived in small communities, each with as many wives as he could support and obtain, whom he would have jealously guarded against other men."
Sigmund Freud Totem & Taboo 1913:
"Darwin deduced from the habits of the higher apes that men, too, originally lived in comparatively small groups or hordes within which the jealousy of the oldest and strongest male prevented sexual promiscuity."
"One day, the brothers who had been driven out, came together, killed and devoured their father and so made an end to the patriarchal horde. United, they had the courage to do and succeeded in doing what would have been impossible for them individually."
"Repetition and commutation of the memorable and criminal deed, which was the beginning of so many things-of social organization, of moral restrictions, and of religion."
"This form of selection depends, not on a struggle for existence in relation to other organic beings or to external conditions, but on a struggle between the individuals of one sex, generally the males, for the possession of the other sex. The result is not death to the unsuccessful competitor, but few or no offspring. Sexual selection is, therefore, less rigorous than natural selection. Generally, the most vigorous males, those which are best fitted for their places in nature, will leave most progeny. But in many cases, victory depends not so much on general vigor, as on having special weapons, confined to the male sex...How low in the scale of nature the law of battle descends, I know not...The war is, perhaps, severest between the males of polygamous animals, and these seem oftenest provided with special weapons." Darwin Origin of Species 1859
Bird sexual competition more peaceful, and most birds are monogamous. "Amongst birds, the contest is often of a more peaceful character. All those who have attended to the subject, believe that there is the severest rivalry between the males of many species to attract, by singing, the females."
If humans did descend from small polygamous patriarchies, then there should be lingering differences in the size of men and women, called sexual dimorphism. "The war is, perhaps, severest between the males of polygamous animals, and these seem oftenest provided with special weapons." Because the alpha male gets primary reproductive access to all the females, competition among males is fierce as the loser doesn't get to continue their genes.
Bird sexual competition more peaceful, and most birds are monogamous. "Amongst birds, the contest is often of a more peaceful character. All those who have attended to the subject, believe that there is the severest rivalry between the males of many species to attract, by singing, the females."
If humans did descend from small polygamous patriarchies, then there should be lingering differences in the size of men and women, called sexual dimorphism. "The war is, perhaps, severest between the males of polygamous animals, and these seem oftenest provided with special weapons." Because the alpha male gets primary reproductive access to all the females, competition among males is fierce as the loser doesn't get to continue their genes.
For the evidence for human polygamy, see my review of David Barash´s Out of Eden. I do think it is plausible that humans share an ancestor who was polygamous.
The primal horde isn't a true society, it isn't "eusocial" in the way ant, termite, or bee societies are. An expression in sociobiology by Michael Tomasello is "you will never see two chimps carrying a log." Most animals, even most insects, do not practice true altruism, sacrificing their own lives for the good of the group. Most observed altruism is either towards kin who share the genes of the individual or is reciprocal altruism, helping someone in return for the expectation of individual benefit. Chimps will call out when a food source is found, but they don't share the food they find.
“In a typical primate group, the toughest individuals can have their way and dominate everybody else in the group,” said Dr. E.O Wilson. “Chimps are very smart, but their intelligence is predicated on distrust.”
There are additional elements which make the human primal horde different than the harems of gorillas, to exacerbate the extreme jealousy of both the patriarchal alpha male who restricts all sexual access to the beta males, and the hurt feelings of beta males who are so attached to the females and resentful of the ubermensch. The most important is the long time it takes for humans to mature, which means greater physical and mental dependency on others. In particular the dependency is greater towards the mother. Paternity uncertainty means that a mother knows a child is hers since she gave birth, whereas a father doesn´t always know for sure.
The dissolution of the primal horde comes when the brothers identify with the role of the father and with each other, as equal partners, willing to execute the father and take his role together. This change in social consciousness, away from brute individualism, occurs when our ancestors left behind the primate diet of fruit, nuts and roots and became omnivores. See my reviews of The Naked Ape and The Hunting Hypothesis.
The primal horde isn't a true society, it isn't "eusocial" in the way ant, termite, or bee societies are. An expression in sociobiology by Michael Tomasello is "you will never see two chimps carrying a log." Most animals, even most insects, do not practice true altruism, sacrificing their own lives for the good of the group. Most observed altruism is either towards kin who share the genes of the individual or is reciprocal altruism, helping someone in return for the expectation of individual benefit. Chimps will call out when a food source is found, but they don't share the food they find.
“In a typical primate group, the toughest individuals can have their way and dominate everybody else in the group,” said Dr. E.O Wilson. “Chimps are very smart, but their intelligence is predicated on distrust.”
There are additional elements which make the human primal horde different than the harems of gorillas, to exacerbate the extreme jealousy of both the patriarchal alpha male who restricts all sexual access to the beta males, and the hurt feelings of beta males who are so attached to the females and resentful of the ubermensch. The most important is the long time it takes for humans to mature, which means greater physical and mental dependency on others. In particular the dependency is greater towards the mother. Paternity uncertainty means that a mother knows a child is hers since she gave birth, whereas a father doesn´t always know for sure.
The dissolution of the primal horde comes when the brothers identify with the role of the father and with each other, as equal partners, willing to execute the father and take his role together. This change in social consciousness, away from brute individualism, occurs when our ancestors left behind the primate diet of fruit, nuts and roots and became omnivores. See my reviews of The Naked Ape and The Hunting Hypothesis.
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