That is something that those of us who think/write/teach about these things actually did notice right away when that term started to be used.

Secondly, reading these posts as a whole, commenters seem to be polarized, half arguing that the hg lifestyle is ideal, and the other half arguing the western lifestyle is ideal. The argument isn’t being made in these words, however. The words “better” or “more ideal” are being replaced with “complex”. Why has no one implied that the hg lifestyle is simpler AND more fulfilling? Why is it implied in all these posts that complex is better than simple? Why is it implied that intelligence is most important? Not enough people are posting about happiness.

To understand why this set of posts requires such ‘length’ all you need to do is to look at the comments that show that people have a very very hard time understanding these concepts.

Like this one: http://xrl.in/5xtg

And is it any worse for me to call factory work miserable than calling work as a HG miserable?

Now that you mention it, I suppose I came to this point because I was not thinking of a typical Westerner, but of myself. I was comparing my own skill set to that of a HG and thinking about where my individual strengths would likely stand compared to the average HG. In retrospect, this line of argument is flawed because I’m comparing a Westerner in the top 10% of a particular skill to the mean HG.

Even then, abstract thinking was really too broad a category. (And I can assure you, I know with certainty that HGs employ abstraction). Something more specific like working with formal systems would have been more accurate. My best guess is that I would pick up a novel formal system more quickly than an HG, though I have no reason to believe the average Westerner would. No data though, especially as I have not even met an HG.

Think about what you’re doing here. You’re giving them manual dexterity and you’re keeping the abstract thought.

Well, I actually wasn’t trying to be condescending, as if HGs have trouble thinking. And I know with certainty that HGs utilize and rely upon abstraction. I was thinking more along the lines that there are certain things I spend a great deal of time thinking about that are rather abstract, and have minimal utility to the HG way of life, like working explicitly with formal systems. Whereas an HG might more easily come upon an optimal solution to a problem, I would guess that I would be more capable to formally prove that the solution is indeed optimal (assuming A, B, and C, of course). What use is the proof to the HG if they have an effective method for doing what they need to do? Nevertheless assuming my assessment is correct, the point is still moot if I consider Westerners in general.

Ah, and now I have exposed my ugly elitism in addition to my ethnocentrism. “I’m not dumber than the average HG, but the average Westerner is.”

Western people very often go out of their way to experience the HG way of life, or parts of it

There’s a real difference between experiencing the HG lifestyle for a month, something I would be open to, or even a year, something I probably would not, and living it–for the rest of my life. Sure, I find it fascinating to experience different ways of living. One summer I did door-to-door sales, erroneously thinking I could make a decent wage, but also out of curiosity. It turned out to be a miserable experience, but I don’t regret having that experience, and there were enjoyable moments among the misery. I am sure I would have enjoyable moments as an HG, but, oh the misery.

Why is it bogus? Is a supermarket carrying 10,000 product lines more/less complex than a list of 20 grubs/roots that can be dug out of the ground and safely eaten? Simple question. Where the supermarket comes from is irrelevant. Civilisation is indeed extremely complex, which is why at any one time a lot of the planet struggles to achieve/maintain it in the face of the tribal free-for-all which otherwise reigns. I spend a lot of time in the bush. I’ve often wondered about this myself, and I believe most relevant survival skills can be taught to a child by the age of about 6-8. Teaching them to read and write however takes a bit longer, because that’s far more complex. Actually, the first complex bit comes after you’ve dug up your grubs and roots – civilisation takes care of its waste (except when capitalists are in charge), primitives shit in the water and come down with cholera.

Vince, you have pulled your comparative learning data out of your ass and it is simply wrong, and your absurd remarks about primiives shitting in the water just got you banned from this blob. Bye.

(Why are all the most intense racists in this particular area Australians?)

I have seen things like this happen frequently.