abrahambl

I strongly object to a variety of aspects of your (if you are indeed Craig Dilworth) "Too Smart for Our Own Good" First, your usage of the term "Third World", which implies a value ranking of peoples and cultures, is highly objectionable. The term "developing world" (or, since you state that you believe this is overly optimistic [p.447]) or at least periphery would be greatly preferred. Secondly (and most importantly) a wide variety of the sources which you rely on heavily to support the history of the VCP are vastly outdated and contradict more recent and accurate sources. Let's look at, as Ophiolite mentions, your dating of the javelin and bow & arrow. The only citation discussing their usage (on p. 215 &216) cite a source from 1977! Honestly, sir, has no work been done on the topic since 1977? Since that time, our understanding of our early human ancestors has changed dramatically. This one example is indicative of a larger problem which pervades your work. Let's look at another example. On page 209, you note, "Here we can expect that, as in the case of modern hunter-gatherers(citation) and ourselves, it was men rather than women who made and used the greater number of more complex tools, weapons, and implements, and who used more complex techniques in making and using them. The more complex the technology, the more the men participate, and the simpler the technology, the more the women" And what was the date of that citation? 1969. And your quoting of Lorenz to set up this discussion in the paragraph before? 1963. Your use of ridiculously outdated sources to support your absurd (and in the case of the latter, perhaps even sexist) arguments offends me as a prospective scholar. Please explain yourself. And the edition of this book which I used was the 2010, Cambridge University Press edition. I invite others to examine these criticisms for themselves.