On 4/8/06, Charles Brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> ^^^^
> CB: It's not all specualation, because archaeology can do things like tell
> the timing of the origin of the bow. Then the locations have or don't have
> other signs of gender and class oppression before or after the time the bow
> arises.  It is not as completely speculative as one might think.
> Possibilities can be eliminated , even if affirmative statements can't be
> made.
>

Right, but the reason I don't think it will reach the level of theory
anytime so, is we won't get the possibilties down to "one"  or even to
the point where we can apply Occams razor. I think we will, at least
for a long time to come,  have  more than equally simple explanation
that fits all the facts  we know - because we know so few facts.  Note
that class opression does not happen upon the invention of the bow -
it happens following the extermination of predators, which probably
takes quite a long time.  So confirmation would be finding signs of
class opression  following the invention of the bow, but preceding the
invention of agriculture - which I'm pretty sure the archeological
record does in fact show.  But the problem is that is not really
confirmation. I'll bet equally plausible explainations are possible
for that, which are no more complicated.

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