"politics"

[Joel S. Berson]

There is, of course, Frans de Waal's "Chimpanzee politics: power and
sex among apes" (1982, rev. ed. 1998).

Joel

At 12/2/2006 06:05 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Some weeks back, IIRC, I posted an example of "politics" used in the
>narrow sense of "simple power relationships in society; the
>jockeying for influence or power," or however you care to phrase
>it.  Some of you replied that that's pretty much what "politics" always means.
>   As you wish, post-Hobbesians.
>
>   As I write, though, the Discovery Science Channel is
> rebroadcasting a 2003 rock-u-sock-u-mentary called _Walking with
> Cavemen_. It makes a reference to "politics" among members of a
> _Homo erectus_ troop.
>
>    _H. erectus_ is, of course, the human ancestor most familiar
> through the fossil known as "Lucy."  These small critterfolk walked
> erect but seem to have had nothing comparable to a language
> enabling them to make political speeches, discuss nuances of
> governing, etc.  So their "politics" must have been  pretty close
> to animal dominance relationships. The show's narration doesn't
> even try to suggest otherwise.

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