As I have said before, cannibalism is rare in large mammals, including humans. Its rarity is a consequence of an innate dietary restraint in these animals. We know that most normal humans are disgusted by the prospect of eating their kind. They feel a similar disgust towards eating human excrement or drinking human urine. Yet there are people who do it. They overcome the inhibitions because circumstances force them to do it, because of religious/cultural compulsions or because of an innate or acquired psychopathology.
Historically, cannibalism has been found to have been practiced in most parts of the world, both on islands and the mainland. It was seen relatively more frequently in the remote Pacific islands, presumably because of extreme scarcity of food. On the larger islands such as Hawaii the practice disappeared much before any contact with western civilization. Cheers, Santosh --- Gilbert Lawrence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > If cannibalism causes "the instinctive disgust you > feel in your stomach", then certainly all human > cultures all over the world and all through history > should feel the same "INSTINCTIVE disgust you feel > in your stomach" about cannibalism. And perhaps > this innate "instinct" should be most apparent in > isolated societies not influenced / instructed by > some 'outside thinking'. > > Unless one is postulating that "human instincts" are > different in different parts of the world and during > different time periods based on some genetic / > evolutionary characteristics. >
