The most abused idea in evolution: “Survival of the fittest” | James Suzman

James Suzman lived with a tribe of hunter-gatherers to witness how an ancient culture survives one of the most brutal climates on Earth. His learnings may surprise you.

Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1
Up next, Evolution explains kindness—even when it kills us ► https://youtu.be/Gy5hejk4vl4

What do you imagine life was like for hunter-gatherers throughout human history? You might guess that daily life for them was a constant struggle between eating and being eaten in a world where surviving was a full-time job.

But anthropological research suggests that probably wasn’t the case. When the anthropologist James Suzman went to the Kalahari Desert to study the Ju/'hoansi hunter-gathers, for example, he found that they worked only 15 hours per week, and that much of that time was spent on activities that many people in the modern West consider leisure, like hiking and fishing.

Of course, hunter-gatherers experienced plenty of hard times throughout world history. But a general theme has emerged from anthropological research on hunter-gathers both contemporary and ancient: Rather than being a constant battle for energy between people and their environment, life was more of a continuous flow of give and take between species, and leisure was part of the fabric of daily life.

As Suzman told Big Think, looking at the lives of hunter-gatherers can help us rethink the ways we conceptualize work and society.

Select footage supplied by Exploring Namibia TV ► https://www.youtube.com/c/ExploringNamibiaTV

Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/hunter-gatherer-society/


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About James Suzman:
With a head full of Laurens van der Post and half an anthropology degree from St Andrews University under his belt, James Suzman hitched a ride into Botswana’s eastern Kalahari in June 1991. He has been working with the Bushmen ever since.

He remains involved in a number of Kalahari initiatives in support mainly of community organizations and NGOs .

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read more of our stories on anthropology:
Svante Pääbo wins Nobel Prize for discovering an extinct human species via DNA
► https://bigthink.com/the-past/neanderthal-denisovans-paabo-nobel-prize-2022/
Did war help societies become bigger and more complex
► https://bigthink.com/the-past/war-civilization-development/
Biological Big Bang: How we solved Darwin’s dilemma
► https://bigthink.com/the-past/cambrian-explosion-fossils/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Big Think | Smarter Faster™
► Big Think
The leading source of expert-driven, educational content. With thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, Big Think helps you get smarter, faster by exploring the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century.
► Big Think+
Make your business smarter, faster: https://bigthink.com/plus/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Want more Big Think?
► Daily editorial features: https://bigthink.com/popular/
► Get the best of Big Think right to your inbox: https://bigthink.com/st/newsletter
► Facebook: https://bigth.ink/facebook
► Instagram: https://bigth.ink/Instagram
► Twitter: https://bigth.ink/twitter