Well, while it is indeed true that quite a few anthropologists remained convinced for quite some time that it was the eating of animal flesh that allowed our human brains to radically expand to their current size & level of complexity — and while this argument SEEMS like a good one when first heard, it too fails completely upon deeper and more rational examination …

As evidence for this, please consider the following Truths:

*01 … The science is no longer – I repeat, current science does NOT conclusively support this theory any longer … Initially, what many meat-advocates fail to realize about the older studies they cite to prove their “meat as evolutionary assistant” argument is that most of those studies propose meat as a POSSIBLE source of the additional calories that were necessary to spur such a shift. Indeed, the more reputable studies (like the oft-cited one released by Aiello & Wheeler) specifically note that other food sources – such as fruits, tubers, or oil-rich nuts & seeds — could very well have had the same evolutionary effect. It turns out that even these older, more flawed studies were primarily about total caloric intake, NOT the specific source or sources of those calories.

And, as it turns out, this makes perfect sense, if for no other reason than a nutritional one – namely, that NEURONS RUN almost exclusively ON GLUCOSE, not the protein & fat found in animal flesh. Additionally, because neurons aren’t able to store the glucose like other cells in the body, they must receive a regular, almost constant supply thereof, NOT the sporadic offerings provided by the occasional lucky kill of a hunted animal.

“Even the staunchest meat advocates recognize that protein and fat cannot power the brain … The argument is that meat eating provided the calories needed to power other parts of the body, freeing available carbohydrates to focus on the brain… Even in that case, it’s the carbs eaten before, with and after the meat that powered the brain, not the meat itself …” ~ Peter Ungar (professor and chair of anthropology at University of Arkansas)

Thirdly — and for advocates of Myth #23, possible most importantly — a recent comprehensive study by lead researcher A. Navarrette (published in Nature magazine in November of 2011) soundly rejected the “meat as human brain developer” theory, concluding after rigorous examination & testing that “human encephalization [i.e. brain development] was made possible by a combination of factors”; including the stabilization of food sources, a redirection of caloric energy via the use of a more efficient two-legged upright form of locomotion, as well as shifts in the overall human dynamics related to growth and reproduction.

Finally, even from a purely sociological standpoint, the theory that we have only evolved as a species via hunting, aggression and violence is an outmoded one at best. Actually, it is far more likely that we were able to survive and thrive as a species because we were the hunted, not the hunters … Consider the wisdom of Robert Sussman, PhD: “Our intelligence, cooperation and many other features we possess as modern humans developed from our attempts to out-smart predators … [The idea of humans as hunters] developed from a basic Judeo-Christian ideology of man being inherently evil, aggressive and a natural killer. In fact, when you actually examine the fossil and living non-human primate evidence, that is simply not the case.”

Yes, it is probably true that humans were forced to become hunters (and live frequently, if not primarily, from meat) during the last Great Ice Age, AND YET a) they did so because they were facing starvation if they didn’t (something no one reading this article can claim), and b) the skeletal remains and the few rare ice mummies recovered of humans who lived during these times show that they suffered from digestive problems, arthritis, early aging, and early death. In addition, these weren’t protohumans anyway – they were already fully homosapiens by this time and had already developed most of the brain mass we have today – an this, BEFORE they became primarily hungry, hunting meat-eaters.

I think that pretty much takes care of that …

 

Of course, the best argument against the myth that eating animal flesh allowed humans to evolve is that IT IS COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT … Again, please consider the following:

*02 … Evolution is only a positive when used positively … Indeed, IF meat-eating allowed us to become the “sophisticated” species we are today, then that very meat-eating is at least partially responsible for the horrors & atrocities that said evolution has brought about as well — including genocide, war, weapons of mass destruction, addictions to alcohol & fast food & cigarettes & other recreational drugs, wasting away in front of video screens of all sorts, the destruction of our planet’s ecosystems, and the cruel torture & enslavement of the Earth’s animals.

And indeed, even IF it is true that eating meat allowed our ancient ancestors to evolve, there are quite a number of other immoral behaviors that helped them to do so as well, including the enslavement of weaker tribes, the systematic rape of the women of competing tribes, and the cold-blooded murder of any others deemed to be “dangerous” or “enemies”.

If evolution is so great, and allowed us to evolve into hunters during times of starvation & ignorance, then why would we deny that same engine of development that is calling for us to abandon hunting (and all other forms of animal exploitation) and become stewards of our planets citizens instead?

If evolution is so great, why do meat-eaters abandon it completely by perpetuating a diet that makes them far more sickly and noticeably more stupid?

If evolution is so great, why do meat-eaters abandon the most advanced & potent benefits thereof – namely, reason & justice & morality & compassion?

*03 … IF meat-eating caused human evolution, and if that evolution is truly a good thing, then we should honor that gift by ensuring our continued evolution … BY CEASING TO EAT MEAT! Yes, eating animal flesh probably did allow us to survive periods of near-starvation. And yes, eating animal flesh MIGHT have allowed our humans brains to develop & evolve. AND YET it is most definitely true that our human bodies are not designed to properly digest either the bodies or the secretions of other animals – and the scores of studies directly linking the consumption of these animal products to heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, multiple forms of cancer, diabetes & osteoporosis prove this without a shadow of a doubt! And this doesn’t even begin to address the additional fact that the meat/milk industry is currently BY FAR the number one destroyer of our Earth’s global ecosystem – sending us plummeting directly towards the impending brink of not only the extinction of thousands upon thousands of animal species, but our own species’ ultimate extinction as well.

Basically, then, IF meat did somehow allow our ancient ancestors to evolve, continuing to eat meat will undoubtedly end up erasing all of those benefits – continuing to eat meat will lead (indeed, is already leading) to a de-evolution of our kind.

Yes, our brains did evolve rapidly at a time when we MIGHT have been eating higher quantities of animal flesh. And yes, as a consequence, our highly intelligent brains are now more than well-equipped to make highly intelligent decisions – among them rational judgments as to how best to ensure the survival of our species, and moral judgments as to what is compassionate and what is cruel; what is “good” and what is “evil”; what is necessary and what is optional; what is ethical and what is selfish. For example, our highly developed brains can deduce that slavery did indeed play an integral role in the creation of the United States of America, AND that same brain can also realize that even though slavery was a main player in the creation of that country, that the continued support of human slavery there (or anywhere else) is not only completely unnecessary but also fully immoral. Similarly, making the (probably erroneous) case that the large brain-size of humans evolved from eating animal flesh is no justification whatsoever for continuing to exploit our sentient cousins when we have absolutely no current need to do so.

*04 … We are no longer primitive, stone-age homosapiens … Admittedly, quite a few of us are still acting like it, AND YET the fact remains that we have indeed for the most part transcended our most primitive, our most ignorant, and our more self-destructive instincts. Yes, we are young species, still, AND YET we are no longer evolutionary infants. As such, even our collective adolescence is no longer an excuse for primal, immoral behaviors. As a species, we have come far enough to no longer accept slavery, rape, incest, wrongful imprisonment, torture, bigotry, injustice or cruelty in our relations with other humans and a handful of other species. It’s high time we started “acting our age” by extending the same basic decency to all sentient species … period.

None of us live in prehistoric Africa anymore – and no one is currently suffering through an Ice Age. As such, none of us need to eat milk or consume animal excretions to live long (actually longer) and healthy (actually healthier) lives. Since it is not necessary for us to cause others suffering for our survival, it is immoral – indeed, borderline despicable — to continue to choose to do so.

Amen … Please let it be so.

 

 

 

Filed under: Sanctifying Sentience by Scaughdt