Around 10.000 years ago there were basically three types of human subsistence economies: hunter-gatherers, farmers and pastoralists (herders). There is genetic evidence that these “tribes” didn’t mix initially. People in modern Sardinia, for example, are primarily the descendants of early farmers migrating into Europe who replaced the local population of hunter-gatherers. The people in Sardina show little admixture from hunter-gatherers or herders.
There might have been many reasons for not interbreeding, like tribalism and differences in mentality (hunter-gatherers are more egalitarian than farmers) and even physical differences (farmers may have evolved more endomorph, physically stronger body types adapted to the hard routine work of farming).
This kind of assortative mating can still be seen today and has been investigated by Helen Fisher on dating sites and by people working within the framework ob Myers-Briggs personality types, like David Keirsey. Hunter-gatherer types usually mate with each other, whereas pastoralists and farmers tend to mate within their own group.
One culturological difference that results from differences in temperament is the distinction between tight farmer cultures (conservative, duty-oriented, very in-group loyal) and loose hunter-gatherer cultures (allowing for more freedom and demanding less compliance). This difference has likely evolved because early farmers required higher levels of cooperation for survival than hunter-gatherers. This also required taking on subordination to authority as the work often needed to be hierarchically organized. Hunter-gatherers generally would not be willing to take orders from authority and be content with inferior positions in a social hierarchy.
Early civilizations, i.e advanced agricultural societies usually had tripartite social stratification. This separation of classes cannot be merely explained by less egalitarian farmer organization, as a hierarchy (alpha to omega) itself does not entail a division into classes. What seems more likely is that these classes were at least initially based on tribal affiliation and assortative mating.
Upper class: early farmers (SJ) | king, priests, landowners, high-ranking soldiers |
Middle class: pastoralists (SP) | warriors, artisans, and merchants |
Lower class: hunter-gatherers (N) | labourers, slaves |
The history of civilizations can be understood by these temperaments or “forces” acting on each other. Farmer types are highly productive, but also tend to conserve the status quo as they are programmed for routine, love of tradition, conformism and dislike of change. Hunter-gatherer types usually struggle in a farmer world, they, therefore, have tried to make a life for themselves easier by technological (reducing hated routine work) and social (reducing inequality, social tension, etc.) innovation. These two opposing forces have been the driver of historical progress.
Historical places that have brought a lot of progress were driven by farmer productivity paired with hunter-gatherer leadership. Athens is such an example: it brought democracy, philosophy as well as a host of other cultural innovation. Sparta, on the other hand, seems to have been dominated by a mix of herders (fearless warriors) and farmers (highly organized). Herders cultures in history were generally not able to scale up and remain sustainable without the help of farmer types. Their empires (Huns, Mongols, Vikings, etc.) often disappeared as quickly as they appeared on the historic scene.
Wherever hunter-gatherer types became dominant, peace, science and the arts flourished, like in Florence during the reign of the Medicis. The American Revolution was mostly led by hunter-gatherer types and the Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed mostly by hunter-gatherer types too.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
This isn’t just a declaration of political independence, it’s also a declaration of hunter-gatherer values and universal human rights. Most of the early American presidents, from Jefferson to Lincoln, where hunter-gatherer types. America has increasingly become farmerized, more in-group social and conservative in recent times. Building walls and fences is something that appeals to farmers, but not hunter-gatherers.
Even though most populations nowadays represent a mix of the three “tribes”, there are occasionally groups that tend towards the predominance of one type. The Amish are typical for the farmer type, they are very in-group centred and have been resisting change for centuries. They are hard-working people, who could make their lives easier by adopting modern technology. They don't, because they see it as threat to their community and values.
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