The agricultural revolution, without a doubt the most important event in the rise to global domination of our species, is a mixed bag at best. Its great success in fueling man's procreative fires cannot be argued. Scientists tell us that a critical mass of people is required to give rise to a civilization, or culture of cities, with social stratification, central control, writing, monument building, conquests, metallurgy, and finally industry and technology. Therefore, if civilization is defined as the pinnacle of human achievement, and it usually is, then agriculture is, by definition, a good thing.

Yet when compared to hunting and gathering in a pristine environment, agriculture is more labor intensive and provides a less balanced diet. Repeated studies of today's pure hunter-gatherers show them to be remarkably healthier than similar groups in which even small amounts of refined foods are made available. And foraging societies have more time for recreation and matters of the spirit, lost causes in the modern world. Without agriculture, perhaps a superior alternative to the often wanton human condition might have evolved.(next photo)