what’s good about whatever civilization is? what’s bad about it? what is it?
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"infants did not have to wait helplessly to have their needs met. They had no emotional need to anchor their libidos to abstract concepts of time, place, or kinship; and abstract foundations of awareness such as these were not imprinted on their nascent consciousness"
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vs
"a psychological transformation commenced, one that focused with growing intensity on emergent cognitive abstractions and symbols by which to anchor claims to property. As these took hold, possessiveness evolved as a basic human trait."
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sauce: "preconquest consciousness" by e. richard sorenson
ranprieur.com/readings/preco
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given how much of a touchstone this essay is, i really wish i had more context on this sorenson guy and whether he's legit, or whether it's been corroborated by other anthropologists
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me too
while i understand that the world was entirely different for the vast majority of humans, and that this ofc shaped and shapes us, i’m always skeptical of unfalsifiable assumptions about others’ consciousnesses
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i have gotten some pushback when i’ve shared this so idk what the current consensus is in anthropology on any of this, admittedly. i do at least like it as an inspiring vision of something that feels possible to me
don’t get me wrong, i do like the feeling of possibility it engenders
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Preconquest consciousness is too fragile. It goes away when someone nearby gets conquer-y. Need something’s that maintains its goodnesses while still able to protect itself
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