Marc Buhler  wrote 

> Perhaps you should look at the article by Paul M. Bingham
> in the journal Evolutionary Anthropology about the role of
> the ability to kill with throwing and clubbing in human evolution.
> 
> Human evolution and human history: A complete theory
> Bingham, P.M.  (2000)
> Evolutionary Anthropology  vol 9 , pp 248-257
> 
> Remember the scene in the movie "2001" where the
> ape brings a large bone down on another bone and
> gets the idea that it could knock a really big hole in
> another ape's skull?  It is kind of at that point, where
> one becomes able to "kill" a similar sized individual
> of the same species, that the rules of animal behaviour
> have to be replaced by some of the rules of human
> social behaviour that form the fabric of "society".
> 
> A bit funny that "baseball" is pointed out as making use
> of the clubbing and throwing skills

I've made the same connection in my thinking.  I've also 
combined it with fan-based behavior.  (But if my thinking 
is correct the first "athletic events" were between our 
ancestors and other species.)

> that made such a
> change in behaviour necessary. (Not so in cricket, of course.)
> 
> (signed) marc

Thanks for the reference.

There are some similarities in the scenario you indicate 
above and the scenario in my hypothesis.  But there are 
also some major distinctions:

1) In my scenario there is a territorial imperative that 
is caused by a shift in climate (well documented) that 
introduces the environmental/climatic element of seasonal 
dessication--a significant and severe dry season--and 
resulting patchiness (isolation) of remaining a'pith 
habitat (town-sized, city-sized patches of treed 
habitat--"community sites"--in a greater environment that 
is mostly treeless).  (All other hypotheses are extremely 
vague about climatic factors.)

2) My scenario also has war-like behavior.  Except the 
main opponent is large inmigrating species that would 
compete with them for resources and, thereby, exaggerate 
the level of scarcity (local poverty) at their isolated, 
well-watered, community sites.  The rock-throwing, 
stick-wielding behavior in my scenario is a means of 
reducing the level of poverty at the community site so 
that the community as a whole can survive through periods 
of extreme scarcity (predators being the "grim reapers" 
at impoverished community sites).

3) The benefits of the rock-throwing, stick-wielding 
behavior are realized despite the fact that they rarely, 
if ever, involve actually killing or maiming their 
opponents.  

4) There is a very significant and clearly discernible 
communal selective aspect to this scenario that is 
missing from any other hypothesis on human evolution.

Check out my website: :)
http://makeashorterlink.com/?J12862075

Jim
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