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by kryogen1c 2893 days ago
> By Diamond's reasoning, we could live far longer on this planet if we lived like chimpanzees

The funny thing about that argument is that chimpanzees, and all other creatures, exist in some kind of hierarchy, usually involving sex and power. His premise is simply wrong.

For a more convincing argument along these lines, see Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_%28novel%29?wprov=sf...

It posits that, amongst other things, agriculture (food supply) is allowing us to violate laws of nature by overextending population beyond what is sustainable. Of course, you can't violate a scientific law, so the metaphor used in the book is akin to a plane careening towards the ground and everyone claiming they took off and flew so there can be no problem now.