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A review by rita42
Cannibals and Kings: Origins of Cultures by Marvin Harris
4.0
Archeologist Lewis-Williams said that scientists tend to favour the evidence that is most relevant to their pre-conceived ideas and that these tendencies can call into question the most solid and the most thought through theories. But in this book, Marvin Harris managed to almost entirely avoid such baises.
Unfortunately it was not because he presented objectively valid data, but because he chose to not to rely on any physical evidence to further illustrate his arguments. Statements about early-human life expectancy, about female infanticide as population control, about widespread commonplace cannibalism in Mesoamerica…can seem arbitrary and are difficult to accept when they're not backed by any archeological data, field observation or any other form of undeniable scientific proof.
Perhaps requiring extensive material evidence from a book that was written over forty years ago isn’t really fair. Anthropology, ethnography, and archeology have come a very long way since Harris published this book, the information we now have wasn't available back then. And in light of this, the ecological argument, his principle theory behind all cultural behaviour, seems much more fascinating. It is an elegant and beautifully logical concept, it absolutely blew me away and I truly wish Harris was still alive so that he can develop his theory to the extent it deserves by taking advantage of all modern knowledge and scientific innovations to revise and update his book.
Unfortunately it was not because he presented objectively valid data, but because he chose to not to rely on any physical evidence to further illustrate his arguments. Statements about early-human life expectancy, about female infanticide as population control, about widespread commonplace cannibalism in Mesoamerica…can seem arbitrary and are difficult to accept when they're not backed by any archeological data, field observation or any other form of undeniable scientific proof.
Perhaps requiring extensive material evidence from a book that was written over forty years ago isn’t really fair. Anthropology, ethnography, and archeology have come a very long way since Harris published this book, the information we now have wasn't available back then. And in light of this, the ecological argument, his principle theory behind all cultural behaviour, seems much more fascinating. It is an elegant and beautifully logical concept, it absolutely blew me away and I truly wish Harris was still alive so that he can develop his theory to the extent it deserves by taking advantage of all modern knowledge and scientific innovations to revise and update his book.