this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2024
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Science Memes
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Generally sure. We've certainly evolved to want to be around for a while after reproduction though, for example human infants are completely worthless. That doesn't mean we need to be top notch, but we do need to exist sufficiently to get children to even the most brutal, basic independence.
Compare that to something that hatches then is already just adulting, like many reptiles.
I think the keyword is precocial vs altricial
Especially considering how reliant we humans are on knowledge, without the previous generation teaching us we're pretty well doomed.
Old people would have been highly valued just because they're sitting on decades of knowledge and wisdom, in an age without permanent records of information grandma would have been the only source of information about the past, and would presumably spend most of their time just sharing that knowledge with everyone else.