The roots of the Old Breed


Could it be the biology?

I'm beginning to think that the Old Breed is more a function of biology than culture.

I ran across this article that reinforced that point.

…These behaviors, including altruism, tolerance, forgiveness, reciprocity and fairness, are readily evident in the egalitarian way wolves and coyotes play with one another. Canids (animals in the dog family) follow a strict code of conduct when they play, which teaches pups the rules of social engagement that allow their societies to succeed. Play also builds trusting relationships among pack members, which enables divisions of labor, dominance hierarchies and cooperation in hunting, raising young, and defending food and territory. Because this social organization closely resembles that of early humans (as anthropologists and other experts believe it existed), studying canid play may offer a glimpse of the moral code that allowed our ancestral societies to grow and flourish.

The timing was a gentle reminder that I sometimes give humanity too much credit and that we owe our fourfoot companions more than we admit.

Of course, if we owe that much of our cultural assumptions to our biology, we certainly need to acknowledge it. Then we should decide if it's practical to move beyond it. My feelings say no, because our culture today tries to move beyond it without acknowledging where our roots lie. I think that is one reason why we feel the need for a "better yesterday" that may not necessarily have existed.

I first talked about the Old Breed here.

Posted: Mon - March 8, 2010 at 10:52 AM
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