Hunter-Gatherer Society
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Marx’s idea that societies were naturally egalitarian and communal before farming is widely influential and quite wrong… drawing a contrast between an angelic past and our greedy present, primitive communism blinds us to the true determinants of trust, freedom and equity. If we want to build better societies, the way forward is neither to live as hunter-gatherers nor to bang the drum of a make-believe state of nature. Rather, it is to work with humans as they are, warts and all.
https://aeon.co/essays/the-idea-of-primitive-communism-is-as-seductive-as-it-is-wrong
I am sure there is another thread on this topic but my first thought was that it is a repeat of the “noble savage” debate.
A certain amount of stereotyping by Marx and Engels and Lewis Henry Morgan recognised positive elements in their writings of Iroquois family gens but regards Celtic clans, weren’t they also critical?
Socialism will not be a society made up of saints and angels. Most hunter-gatherer societies do have traditions and customs that they use to ensure that individuals are subject to the common good prevails.
As an aside, I posted a few links on the Iroquois or Haudenosaunee on another discussion list.
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