it's probably unlikely all these societies discovered inbreeding depression or prion disease and took steps to reduce them proactively
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Replying to @alicemazzy @sonyaellenmann
especially since these taboos usually get imposed *very* early. I don't know of any cannibalistic societies that aren't pre-literate, and...
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Replying to @alicemazzy @sonyaellenmann
...very close (brother/sister parent/child) incest is only routine afaik as part of zany "gotta preserve the god-blood" schemes in royalty a la egypt, persia
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Replying to @alicemazzy @sonyaellenmann
more likely it's just that the societies that don't develop these norms pay a heavy (in the case of incest crippling, insurmountable) fitness cost and are wiped out
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Replying to @alicemazzy @sonyaellenmann
purity norms flow from a natural disgust response and I see no reason why "don't eat rotten meat or sleep in feces" would differ in mechanism from "don't fuck your brother" tbh
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Replying to @alicemazzy @sonyaellenmann
purity norms can be dumb! like no menstruation in the temple sort of stuff. but these are not nearly as universal and more easily shrugged off by moderns
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Replying to @alicemazzy @sonyaellenmann
combined with the fitness thing there's also the fact that because the disgust response is so strongly felt it becomes a strong intolerance preference
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Replying to @alicemazzy @sonyaellenmann
you see this in roman accounts of celtic human sacrifice, same with hebrews re: caananites
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Replying to @alicemazzy @sonyaellenmann
like it is very much a "we're not even dealing with humans over here, they're animals, demons" etc and are treated accordingly
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Replying to @alicemazzy @sonyaellenmann
anyway that's what I think, probably some mix of it's healthy to start with and becomes a preference you're willing to spread by the sword
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personally I don't think it's "morally wrong" or whatever but morality's kinda gay, we should still punish people harshly for it tho
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