Ever since this short discussion with Zuvarq, I have been tinkering with the idea of an arboreal sapient. I find the idea incredibly fascinating. However, a realistic portrayal of such a society is going to require a lot more thought and careful consideration than nonchalantly throwing around ideas about tree houses and rope swings (you know, not like the Star Wars method). In fact, as Zuvarq had argued, there are many considerations that may fundamentally inhibit an arboreal society from even forming.
So, this is my next project. I want to imagine a world in which humans didn't evolve (let's assume that, for whatever reason, australopithecines never happened, and that chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans are the only great apes in existence). In the place of humanity, some arboreal species evolved to sapience and became the builders of civilization on planet Earth. The timeframes will be about the same (taking place mostly within the last million years), and we'll go ahead and assume that the world, its flora and fauna will be essentially the same as in our timeline, except without us and our impacts on it.
My ideas for this project are already developed quite far, and I have a whole lot of material ready for presentation. But I am interested in hearing what other people have to say on the topic. I really like the DValdron approach to threads like this: the group-based brainstorming and dendritic discussion threads make for a very thorough development of the project. And, it's far too big for me to realistically think I've accounted for everything on my own. So, I welcome any additional comments, suggestions, requests and peripheral discussions related to the theme of arboreal sapients on this thread. I have my first take on the topic fairly well fleshed out, but others are more than welcome to put a spin on it or take it in different directions.
I have to say that, after brainstorming, I am somewhat skeptical of the plausibility of an arboreal society, but I don't believe it to be outside the realm of possibility. Certainly, I am willing to hear any criticisms: I did not post this to the ASB forum, because I want the finished product to be as realistic as possible, and that simply can't happen without considering other peoples' ideas.
I am leaving the general guidelines of the project wide open, but the single restriction of the challenge is that the sapient and its society must actually be arboreal. It would be far too easy and too uninteresting to have an arboreal sapient gradually transition to a terrestrial lifestyle, where it could create a very human-like society. So, for whatever reason, I will assume that the sapient cannot fully "leave the trees," as it were.
So, is there interest in the AH.com community to discuss and develop this idea?
So, this is my next project. I want to imagine a world in which humans didn't evolve (let's assume that, for whatever reason, australopithecines never happened, and that chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans are the only great apes in existence). In the place of humanity, some arboreal species evolved to sapience and became the builders of civilization on planet Earth. The timeframes will be about the same (taking place mostly within the last million years), and we'll go ahead and assume that the world, its flora and fauna will be essentially the same as in our timeline, except without us and our impacts on it.
My ideas for this project are already developed quite far, and I have a whole lot of material ready for presentation. But I am interested in hearing what other people have to say on the topic. I really like the DValdron approach to threads like this: the group-based brainstorming and dendritic discussion threads make for a very thorough development of the project. And, it's far too big for me to realistically think I've accounted for everything on my own. So, I welcome any additional comments, suggestions, requests and peripheral discussions related to the theme of arboreal sapients on this thread. I have my first take on the topic fairly well fleshed out, but others are more than welcome to put a spin on it or take it in different directions.
I have to say that, after brainstorming, I am somewhat skeptical of the plausibility of an arboreal society, but I don't believe it to be outside the realm of possibility. Certainly, I am willing to hear any criticisms: I did not post this to the ASB forum, because I want the finished product to be as realistic as possible, and that simply can't happen without considering other peoples' ideas.
I am leaving the general guidelines of the project wide open, but the single restriction of the challenge is that the sapient and its society must actually be arboreal. It would be far too easy and too uninteresting to have an arboreal sapient gradually transition to a terrestrial lifestyle, where it could create a very human-like society. So, for whatever reason, I will assume that the sapient cannot fully "leave the trees," as it were.
So, is there interest in the AH.com community to discuss and develop this idea?