Re: Savannah strawman
Keith Norris (keith@GECKO.BIOL.WITS.AC.ZA)
Tue, 2 Jul 1996 08:31:33 LOCAL
In article <rfoyDtny68.6sz@netcom.com> rfoy@netcom.com (Richard Foy) writes:
>From: rfoy@netcom.com (Richard Foy)
>Subject: Re: Savannah strawman
>Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 14:42:08 GMT
>In article <keith.44.000D2FF4@GECKO.BIOL.WITS.AC.ZA>,
>Keith Norris <keith@GECKO.BIOL.WITS.AC.ZA> wrote:
>>In article <31C97F3C.41C67EA6@sees.bangor.ac.uk> Ian <ian@sees.bangor.ac.uk> writes:
>>>From: Ian <ian@sees.bangor.ac.uk>
>>>Subject: Savannah strawman
>>>Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996 17:41:32 +0100
>>
>>>Many sceptics of the AAH in this newsgroup are saying that the savannah
>>>theory was a strawman 'invented' by Elaine Morgan and co.
>>
>>>I have to say that if it was a strawman it was very well done, since I
>>>and ALL of the people I have heard an opinion from (outside of this
>>>group) have been brought up with the idea of man being an ape who moved
>>>into the savannah and stood up. It was what we were taught in school,
>>>it was what we saw on the telly.
>>
>>>So could some of the people who claim it is a strawman explain to me
>>>how a non-existant theory came to hold such a position in the public
>>>mind.
>>
>>>thanks
>>
>>>Ian France
>>
>>
>>I think you're misinterpretting the meaning of 'strawman'. What this refers
>>to is a theory misrepresented by others so that they can more easily knock it
>>down.
>That really doesn't answer his question, which is also my question.
>How did the generaly population get the idea that savanna was the
>scientific theory.
>--
>"Do you know why Moses wandered in the wilderness for fourty years."(pause)
>He was a man and men don't ask directions." --Nun in the play Nunsense
>URL http://www.he.tdl.com/~hfanoe/womquote.html Womens Quotations
Okay, okay...enough now. Sorry, I was just clearing up one aspect of the
problem. However, I'm not entirely sure why the savannah theory is so
popular, except that it is the one accepted by most paleoanthropologists. I'm
not sure why Ian France claims it is a non-existant theory, that is why I
cleared up the meaning of strawman.
Keith Norris
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