Actually, causes and rates of mortality for hunter-gatherers vary widely. What you say is true for, say, the Hiwi of Venezuala but not for the !Kung. For some groups, social mortality (cannibalism, war, etc) is high. For others disease is the primary cause of death. Malnutrition is rare, but accidental/occupational deaths are a primary cause for some groups.
According to the data presented by Steven Pinker In all such groups murder rates are vastly higher than in modern developed countries. Though you are right it is not always the number one cause of death.
“Low-tech” and “forager” aren’t the same thing. The Yanomamo aren’t hunter-gatherers. It’s not splitting hairs—this distinction makes a huge difference.
That’s interesting, this reduces my opinion of Pinker’s argument quite a bit. But do we have good data on any group that supposedly has lower murder rates than modern developed countries?
Actually, causes and rates of mortality for hunter-gatherers vary widely. What you say is true for, say, the Hiwi of Venezuala but not for the !Kung. For some groups, social mortality (cannibalism, war, etc) is high. For others disease is the primary cause of death. Malnutrition is rare, but accidental/occupational deaths are a primary cause for some groups.
According to the data presented by Steven Pinker In all such groups murder rates are vastly higher than in modern developed countries. Though you are right it is not always the number one cause of death.
Stephen Pinker’s selected examples weren’t actually foragers. See here: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sex-dawn/201103/steven-pinkers-stinker-the-origins-war
“Low-tech” and “forager” aren’t the same thing. The Yanomamo aren’t hunter-gatherers. It’s not splitting hairs—this distinction makes a huge difference.
That’s interesting, this reduces my opinion of Pinker’s argument quite a bit. But do we have good data on any group that supposedly has lower murder rates than modern developed countries?
Here’s 25. http://www.peacefulsocieties.org/index.html