Cannibalism Essay -- essays research papers

There are so many bad things in the land but according to many, cannibalism is considered just about the worst. Depending on your point of view, it rises supra even such criminal abominations as, rape and genocide. Then again, we live in a culture, in which people would run vomiting to the bathroom if they axiom what went into making their McDonalds hamburgers. Cannibalism, also known as anthropophagi, is defined as the act or practise of eating members of the same species. The word anthropophagi comes from the Arawakan spoken language name for the Carib Indians of the West Indies. The Caribs are well known for their practice of cannibalism. Among humans, this practice has been attributed to people in the past all over the world, including rituals connected to tribal warfare. There are two kinds of cannibalism -- sociological and pathological. Sociological means animated and eating in a culture where cannibalism is accepted, and the pathological means practicing cannibalism at heart a culture where its not accepted. Much controversy exists over the appraisal of sociological cannibalism. Reports of social cannibalism are mostly pointed at the Americas and Africa, since these were the primary continents subjected to European killing and conquest sprees from the Middle Ages through modern times. Despite what anyone says, thither are documented examples of cannibalistic cultures and practices. It was usually a spiritual ritual. In some cases, the bodies of enemies were consumed in order to abso...