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  • Maids March 2, 2009  

    I’m relieved that the author of the Stanford article qualifies the statement that humans can have as much sex and food as they want somewhat, saying “today’s people in the advanced societies are freer to pursue and consume both than almost all the human beings who came before us; and our culture has evolved in interesting ways to exhibit both those trends.” Okay. That’s probably true, freer and “advanced society,” though I’d prefer label it the “developed world”
    Hunger and food scarcity in much of the world should not be discounted or ignored in this analysis. In fact there is even hunger in the so-called advanced world. When I last visited Haiti I saw a woman making mud and salt cakes for herself and her family, to stave off the hunger. Very hard on the digestive track, but I think the body may be able to seep some nutrients out of soil (along with parasites and the other such hangers-on). Such sad realities should factor into any analysis that purports to study the ability of modern humans to get all the food and sex they want.

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