Re: The compassionate Homo erectus

Bill Hamilton (hamilton@predator.cs.gmr.com)
Wed, 7 Aug 1996 11:23:50 -0400

At 6:20 PM 8/6/96 -0400, Jim Bell wrote:
>I wrote:
>
><<Glenn quoted Walker and Shipmen re: the poor erectus who died from a bad
>disease:
>
>"The implication stared me in the face: someone else took care of
>her. Alone, unable to move, delirious, in pain, 1808 wouldn't have
>lasted two days in the African bush, much less the length of time her
>skeleton told us she had lived."
>
>This implication isn't staring at me for some reason. How do the authors know
>this creature was "alone"? Why couldn't she be part of the group sitting there
>by their water source, fighting off predators while she painfully sipped
>water? >>
>
>Bill Hamilton responds:
>
><<Still, someone was caring for her, which was the point Walker and Shipmen
>were making.>>

>
>I didn't mean to say someone was caring for her. Fighting off predators is
>caring for YOURSELF. Animals do that out of a sense of SELF-preservation. That
>was my point. My last sentence sloppily could have given the impression that
>they had her welfare in mind. Sorry about that.

The point was that her condition, and the estimated length of time she
remained in that condition before she died imply that someone else was
caring for her. Glenn's right. Put on your specs, Jim.

Bill Hamilton | Chassis & Vehicle Systems
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