In his essay, Diamond writes that hunter-gatherer groups have, “[...] no concentrated food sources,...Therefore, there can be no kings, no class of social parasites who grow fat on food seized from others. Only in a farming population could a healthy, non-producing elite set itself above the disease-ridden masses” (Diamond 76). By saying this, he asserts that material wealth is the only determinant of status. This is something that many of us today would argue strongly against. Although wealth is a very important factor in determining social status, other things, such as occupation, are significant as well. While it is true that the vast majority of adults in hunter-gatherer societies forage for food, there are often still individuals with specialized skill sets. In their essay, Wealth Transmission and Inequality Among Hunter-Gatherers, Eric Alden Smith et al
In his essay, Diamond writes that hunter-gatherer groups have, “[...] no concentrated food sources,...Therefore, there can be no kings, no class of social parasites who grow fat on food seized from others. Only in a farming population could a healthy, non-producing elite set itself above the disease-ridden masses” (Diamond 76). By saying this, he asserts that material wealth is the only determinant of status. This is something that many of us today would argue strongly against. Although wealth is a very important factor in determining social status, other things, such as occupation, are significant as well. While it is true that the vast majority of adults in hunter-gatherer societies forage for food, there are often still individuals with specialized skill sets. In their essay, Wealth Transmission and Inequality Among Hunter-Gatherers, Eric Alden Smith et al