Submitted by polpotisevil2 in anarcho_primitivism (edited )

One of the most common and immediate critiques of primitivist or anti-civ viewpoints is the supposed detrimental health problems associated with them and the famed "you die at 20!" type arguments. Many of these are obviously false and baseless, some have some validity but are partially false, some are true. I'd like to have a more or less "unbiased" list and document concerning this topic. I'd like to start off with a couple, I'll try to contribute more in the next few days. Also, please try to archive whatever you find.

Life expectancy:

https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-evolution-human-origins/life-expectancy-myth-and-why-many-ancient-humans-lived-long-077889

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_human_evolution_fossils (numerous examples of fossils found that have been estimated to be between 40-50 years old)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy#Variation_over_time

Dental issues: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-have-so-many-problems-with-our-teeth/

Heart issues:

Vision issues: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/07/07/484835077/what-did-nearsighted-humans-do-before-glasses?t=1596841507900

Cancer:

Viruses and Diseases:

Possible link of interest about infection that I cannot access because I am using Tor, if someone could help it would be appreciated: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1653532/

Link to PDF versions of certain health guides intended for where people do not have access to a dentist or a doctor in the modern world (Specifically referring to where there is no dentist and doctor). https://en.hesperian.org/hhg/HealthWiki

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Bezotcovschina wrote (edited )

Life expectancy: https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-evolution-human-origins/life-expectancy-myth-and-why-many-ancient-humans-lived-long-077889

Bringing La Chapelle-aux-Saints 1 which age was estimated to 40 years, as a prime example of prehistoric longevity, is not very helpful.

It was found that once infant mortality rates were removed, life span was calculated to between 70 and 80 years, the same rate as that found in contemporary industrialised societies. The difference is that, in the latter, most individuals survive childhood (Kanazawa, 2008).

Can't find the studies referenced here. EDIT: just found it. Sounds rather sensational and hard to believe at first glance. I will dig for more info on this. Found this page that includes substantial critique of their views.

Overall, the statement: "Adult prehistoric people didn't die from health issues significantly more often then modern people, they just died from health issues significantly more often as children" - sounds a bit of contradictory.

EDIT: found Kanazawa's "study". This isn't a study, just a blogpost with claim "In many contemporary hunter-gatherer tribes, the modal lifespan for adults (excluding those who die in childhood) is between 70 and 80 years" without any references. Note "contemporary" in the claim. I have no idea if comparing modern and prehistoric hunter-gatherer tribes is a honest approach. Maybe it's legit. Looking for more info on lifespan in contemporary hunter-gatherer societies.

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polpotisevil2 OP wrote

I believe that article I linked is most certainly biased heavily in one direction. I honestly looked up what I was looking for and linked one of the top articles because I was short on time.

Although, we could argue about what "longevity" you are looking for. I personally have no desire to live past 50, and a fulfilling life of 40 years is more than sufficient for me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_human_evolution_fossils

There are numerous examples of fossils estimated to be aged 40-50 years old at death on this list. I will look through it more thoroughly in the future to see how many older outliers there are, if any.

EDIT: found Kanazawa's "study"...

At the bottom it references this study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256643424_Is_child_death_the_crucible_of_human_evolution

"Once a hunter-gatherer is an adult, their modal lifespan is 68-78 years of age (Gurven & Kaplan, 2007)."

Of course, now we must look into the source for that claim, which should be at the bottom of the PDF. I will do that later as well. Ongoing effort! I personally find this claim quite hard to believe

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celebratedrecluse wrote

web.archive.org/web/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1653532/

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kin wrote

A lot of mental health issues

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