[ckosidows]

Was it?

I know a couple books[1] that suggest life prior to the agricultural revolution wasn't nearly as famine-stricken as we tend to think it was. These books claim hunter gatherers were quite proficient at finding enough sustenance.

Obviously starvation was still possible and likely, but was it the primary cause of death? Is there some more evidence that humans were suffering from starvation before agriculture? Wouldn't populations thin out and stabilize accordingly if starvation was such a problem?

[1] - _Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind_ and _Sex at Dawn_

[rank0]

That same book claims that the agricultural revolution was responsible for human specialization. We were able to feed larger families/tribes and develop non-food related skills. Without agriculture, those extra people would've died aka "thin out" as you mentioned.

[imtringued]

Agriculture encourages large families since children can help out in the field. Meanwhile with a hunter gatherer lifestyle the amount of food that can be acquired is not limited by labor but rather by the local environment. The effect is that you have lots of people doing backbreaking work every day.

[s1artibartfast]

The two are not mutually exclusive. Are you going to boom and bust in both scenarios

[nmz]

"Thin out" is this another word for dying?

[colejohnson66]

It could also mean just spreading out. So less dense civilizations, but the same amount of people.

[kbenson]

In could, but that's generally not what it means when applied in this way. You don't thin out a a herd (which is where I think that phrase is most often used in English) by spreading it over a larger area, but by removing a percentage of the individuals that make up the herd.

[adolph]

If you have lived a good life, is dying a problem?

[inglor_cz]

Starving to death together with the rest of your tribe - your parents, your siblings, your friends, your kids - must be mentally excruciating. Famine has been considered one of the worst curses of humanity since the dawn of written records at least.

How happy are we who have never experienced that! How would our ancestors envy us!

[adolph]

Truly if one was to know the excruciating pain of those who have gone before these things of today thought of as worthy of attention would fade to nothingness.

Would our ancestors envy us or be happy for the fruit of their effort? There are setbacks and frustrations about the slow state of progress sometimes for certain. Maybe they would also be sad for the material orientation of many people and the loss of spirituality that gave them much hope and fortitude.

[sokoloff]

Dying from starvation (and watching the people you love also suffer and some die from it)? Yes, I'd say it's a problem.

[nmz]

Or, If you like something, would you want less of it?

I for one think, this is a subjective question.