Re: Bipedalism in different substrates

From: Nick Maclaren (nmm1_at_cus.cam.ac.uk)
Date: 06/04/04 

Date: 4 Jun 2004 07:49:25 GMT

In article <AkNvc.1336$Z14.1243@news.indigo.ie>,
Paul Crowley <slkwuoiutiuytciuyik@slkjlskjoioue.com> wrote:
>
>Wielding weapons is not really possible
>-- in practice -- as a short-term action.
>Either you have them in your possession
>when danger threatens, or you don't.

That is true.

>> Where does bipedalism save my life?
>
>If you are not carrying a weapon (such
>as a heavy club) then you are very likely
>dead. If you are seen to be unarmed,
>then you'll most likely be attacked, not
>just by predators, or competitive
>species, but much more likely by hostile
>hominids.

Grrk. The implication that the converse holds is NOT true. Despite
the claims of the USA's gun lobby, even extremely powerful weapons
are VERY poor tools for individual self-defence. Attackers out to
kill do so from behind, with no warning - and it doesn't matter WHAT
you are carrying.

The same applies to predators. Except for cheetahs, all hunt by
twilight or night - and all the great apes have very poor night
vision, hearing and smell compared with the predators.

So the key is organisation. Weapons in the hands of an organised
group multiply its defensive capability no end, but weapons without
organisation are purely offensive.

>It was the requirement to CARRY
>weapons -- probably fairly heavy ones
>-- that imposed bipedalism. And it did
>it fast.

Perhaps. Your certainty goes beyond the evidence.

>Even if your wading scenario had
>anything going for it (which it doesn't)
>it would still be hopelessly slow.

Not really. There is no reason to believe that it would be any
slower than weapon carrying - food gathering is as important a
selective property as defence.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

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