Alex Bennett
Sep 17, 2023

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I'm not sure what to think. Graeber and Wengrow in The Dawn of Everything seem to suggest alpha-maleness is not a given in human culture. IIRC, Frans deWaal in Our Inner Ape seems to say it might be. He contrasts chimpanzee and bonobo society and says we share common ancestry with both. Chimpanzees appear to have alpha males. Bonobos don't--they are matriarchal. It sounded like bonobos have alpha females, but they are only aggressive enough to ensure a healthy society (in other words, "competence") and not into power trips like chimpanzee alpha males. So it sounds genetic dispositions both ways are found in human and apes, leaving the nature or nurture/culture question unsettled?

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Alex Bennett
Alex Bennett

Written by Alex Bennett

My goal on Medium has been to publish “Truth Units.” It took 1.5 years. I hope you read it. New articles will respond in-depth to your questions and critiques.

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