From: Hermit (virus@hermit.net)
Date: Mon Oct 06 2003 - 18:33:47 MDT
A brief glimpse at the google results for the search string provided by hkhenson seems to indicate that the "unnatural" death rate in primitive societies hovers at around 25%. Naturally that figure does not include preventable disease, which together with perinatal and infant mortality are their major killers. This combination ensures that life in primitive societies tends to be short, uncomfortable and brutish - and their deaths more so.
Using US data as a benchmark (simply because it is readily available), in advanced societies, the "unnatural" death rate tends to be about 2% even including wars, car-smashes, nosocomial infections and other such delights. Life expectancies tend to be 3 to 5 times greater than those of primitives (very much better than that for women), and members of advanced societies tend to die of age and life-style related complexes.
I would suggest that all the other arguments are academic. If more people die violently in primitive societies, then we don't have to examine their genital mutilation customs (although that is another clear marker) to make the determination that the violence displayed in primitive societies is more generally lethal than any violence present in more advanced societies. Beyond that point you are gilding the lily.
Hermit
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