tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5261748503426298041.post8025330034164043300..comments2023-10-21T13:04:34.038-07:00Comments on Our Place in the World: A Journal of Ecosocialism: 29. The Origin of Domestication of DogsKamran Nayerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13737979861971221811noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5261748503426298041.post-52872334695967981382010-03-27T20:15:31.286-07:002010-03-27T20:15:31.286-07:00Thanks Craig. Just two points to consider. Alan ...Thanks Craig. Just two points to consider. Alan Weisman in his The World Without Us argues that dogs will perish without humans, but not cats. On "dog nature": I am not sure what that is suppose to be. Dogs are bred so that they please various human requirements. So, they differ greatly not only in appearance but also in temperament, intelligence, loyalty, etc. True, there are other characteristics that (almost) all dogs share in common, such as being a pack animal. But how much of these are shared with wolves and how much of them are not found in wolves? I do not know the answer. But the question is relevant to your concern.Kamran Nayerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13737979861971221811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5261748503426298041.post-49981744928265942892010-03-26T13:08:18.079-07:002010-03-26T13:08:18.079-07:00We agree here. But it is still true that, over th...We agree here. But it is still true that, over the centuries that human civilization has expanded at the expense of MOST other species, dogs have prospered more than wolves, despite their mistreatment and detrimental breeding practices. This is even true in many poor nations where few people own dogs as pets, but many dogs run in semi-feral packs scavenging for food in the slums. In these packs the unhealthy extremes of controlled breeding disappear and most dogs are medium sized, normal bodied "mutts."<br /><br />This doesn't mean dog populations won't decline as the calorie base of industrial civilization shrinks from the scarcity of fossil fuels. But dogs are an intelligent and opportunistic species, highly adapted to survival with & among humans. I believe it will take more than the collapse of industrial civilization to break this bond. Dogs will continue to survive at the margins and make themselves useful to humans in many ways long into the future.<br /><br />One final observation, dogs are not wolves. Consequently, "wolf nature" is not "dog nature." Yet your statement about wolves maintaining their true wolf nature implies that dogs have not maintained their true "dog nature." I think you assume dogs should have a dog nature that closely resembles wolves. But what if dog nature is shaped by its long history of co-evolution with human nature and is, therefore, fundamentally distinct from wolf nature? Then perhaps domestication is an essential part of what it means to be a dog.NTROPEEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00095279981135270696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5261748503426298041.post-7205715602814689692010-03-19T20:27:07.486-07:002010-03-19T20:27:07.486-07:00You are absolutely right. But it may be worthwhile...You are absolutely right. But it may be worthwhile to consider the reasons even briefly. Since domestication of dogs, human society has moved in the direction of more "civilization." Civilization as such has included the derive to assert human control over nature. This process has speeded up since the rise of capitalism, in particular since the rise and spread of "industrial revolution." Dogs and cats have fared better than their wild cousins only because they feed off the scrap of our carnivorous diet. Today, this diet is sustainable largely because of our use of fossil fuel and of industrial farming. As you well know, this is not a sustainable diet. In time, if our present world order does not lead to self-destruction, this carnivorous diet has to be given up. Accordingly, we will see a sharp decline in the population of dogs and cats. <br /><br />Another issue is domestication and breeding. These are methods to change animal nature to meet our desires. It is unethical as it is unethical to destroy wild life or to raise and slaughter animals for our consumption fancy. Wolves have been subject to genocide--but they have maintained their wolf nature. Dogs have been breed every other way to serve human purpose. These are important issues better left for in depth treatment in the future.Kamran Nayerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13737979861971221811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5261748503426298041.post-40817318775503601872010-03-19T11:00:57.658-07:002010-03-19T11:00:57.658-07:00On the whole, it seems like dogs have fared much b...On the whole, it seems like dogs have fared much better than their wild counterparts in a world dominated by human beings. The price wolves have paid for remaining wild has been nothing short of genocide while dog populations continue to grow.NTROPEEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00095279981135270696noreply@blogger.com