7.11: Critical Thinking Questions

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Jennifer Hasty, David G. Lewis, & Marjorie M. Snipes
OpenStax

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If you could choose to practice a mode of subsistence for just one year, which one would it be? What would be the advantages and disadvantages of your choice?
Why is egalitarianism so prominent in one form of subsistence and less prominent in others? How could egalitarian behavior be encouraged in industrial and postindustrial societies?
Programs that attempt to change the lifeways of gatherer-hunters, pastoralists, and horticulturalists are often called “development” programs. Do you think the target groups of such programs see them as development? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such programs? Do you view them as development?
Have you or someone you know experienced precarity? What might be the solution to this widespread problem in contemporary societies?
How can industrial and postindustrial societies learn the lessons of environmental sustainability from peoples who practice other, more environmentally friendly modes of subsistence? What needs to be done to promote the knowledge, values, and practices of environmentalism?