Art DeVany comments on my interview with Keith Thomas
I thought I’d point out that Art DeVany has made some comments about my interview with Keith Thomas. His thoughts are - as ever - engaging and provoking.
As to the curious concern Chris asks Keith to comment on about the libertarian slant that sometimes perturbs some people or may be seen as egotism on my part, that attitude comes from two sources:
1. I had to take responsibility for my family’s health in the face of the evidence that my our doctors were giving us bad advice regarding the treatment of their type 1 diabetes.
2. my research in economics and complex systems taught me that the order in human physiology—a truly decentalized, complex system operating far from equilibrium—is an emergent property, not one that is determined by top down control. This is true also of a life of freedom. There is no neglect of social interactions or the state of the world; indeed, these are part of the constraints and institutions that help to shape an emergent order.
3. Hunter gatherer societies are very flat and have almost no hierarchical structure (but for some male and age dominance that is primarily earned through knowledge and physical prowress), that is a legacy of agriculture and control of water resources—the hydrological state, not a natural order.
The Paleo/EF movement, if there is one, emerged out of the open and very disordered information space of the blogosphere and from many individuals communicating ideas and experience. So, relax and enjoy the individualism that has made this new science take form and let all share in its findings. I never tried to rush my book out to stake a claim on this knowledge and had I done so, I don’t think the movement would have spread as it has. Sharing the information openly was the only way this was going to go anywhere. The genetic research is coming out everywhere now and revising many notions of health. Yet, it is revealing the complex networks of gene expression and hormonal and signalling pathways that take us farther into the realm of complexity. (from here)
Incidentally, my question about the libertarianism of some wings of the paleo movement was not directed at Art. I always find his stuff very inspiring, motivating and challenging intellectually. He makes me think and analyse - which is good.
Interesting thoughts though. With respect to individualism and freedom, I sometimes wonder how free or individual we could be in a hunter gatherer society. The individuals might soon be ostracized for the good of the tribe?
