Quote:
The strongest and most instinctively compelling of social groups was, and still is, the family. The family is necessitated among human beings by the great length of infancy, and by the fact that the mother of young infants is seriously handicapped in the work of food gathering. It was this circumstance that with human beings, as with most species of birds, made the father an essential member of the family group. This must have led to a division of labour in which the men hunted while the women stayed at home. (Russel 13)
My Response:
One foremost argument that Russel brings up is that the most powerful and primitive social group is the family. The family is simply a necessity from an evolution standpoint because as soon as an infant is born, the mother has to take care of her newborn. This is the instinct of most species to carry on their bloodline. In humanity’s case and shown from thousands of years ago even to this very day, a mother had to take care of the young while the father hunted.
In my opinion, I strongly agree to Russel’s thoughts. I have grownup witnessing my working father provide for my family. He had the physical means and ability while my mom would of course stay home and nurse my siblings and I. She would watch the household while my father would work. I am sure that there are many others like me in this country who have witnessed Russel’s argument in action, especially in collectivistic cultures. I speak from my personal experience and find Russel’s idea that the family is the most primitive and powerful social group. I believe this will hold true for thousands of years in the future.
~Johnson Liang
I too agree with Johnson and Russell on this matter. The concept of family is something that has been fundamental in life even before the age of humanity. However one trend that I think is interesting is that our highly forward thinking and progressive city, where all sorts of unconventional families live, there are still strong family values. Even though NYC doesn’t represent traditional nuclear families, we still have very strong familial ties, and even redefine what family really means. I think while Russell’s definition and ideas of family still apply, there is still much that has been changed and adopted since.