Harvard Paleo Anthropologist debunks 'do what our ancestors did' as silly -- Take Your Pharmaceuticals!

#1

Dr. Daniel Lieberman is the Chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard. He is the author of two best-selling books about human evolution and exercise.

Here’s what he had to say:

… I think the biggest problem with this argument is that just because our ancestors evolved to do something doesn’t mean it’s healthy.

That’s what we call a paleofantasy, right? We evolve for one reason and one reason only, right?
As far as evolution is concerned, is to have as many offspring as possible.

And evolution doesn’t care if we get heart disease when we’re in our '60, or cancer in our '70s or whatever 'cause you’ve already had your children by then, right?

So the argument that you should eat something because your ancestors did it, is really just silly.

I mean, I can’t think of any other term, right?

I mean, our ancestors also didn’t sleep on mattresses.

So, are they gonna give up their mattresses?

Our ancestors didn’t brush their teeth.

Our ancestors didn’t have refrigeration or antibiotics or vaccines.

I mean, this is a shallow way of thinking …

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#2

He has a good point, although I’m not sure many people do things because that’s what our ancestors did.
The framework should be to keep in mind what our ancestors were exposed to when deciding what to do.

#3

Evolution can explain several things. His point is not to force us to do or not do things, he is just pointing out how we were selected and what our body is capable and or not capable or selected to do.

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