Executive summary: Historical accounts of famines reveal that extreme hunger is an all-consuming, prolonged experience that can last years and drive people to desperate measures, fundamentally altering both mental state and behavior.
Key points:
Acute hunger creates intense physical pain and mental anguish, described as a “mental manacle” that makes it difficult to think about anything else.
People resort to extreme measures to survive, including eating non-food items (tree bark, grass, leaves), stealing, and in rare cases, cannibalism.
Famines create widespread social disruption, leading to phenomena like homeless children (“wandering swallows”), prostitution for food, and increased banditry.
Modern famines continue to occur (e.g., Madagascar 2021-2022), often exacerbated by climate change and social instability.
The suffering from extreme hunger can persist for years, contrary to common assumptions about acute suffering being short-term.
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Executive summary: Historical accounts of famines reveal that extreme hunger is an all-consuming, prolonged experience that can last years and drive people to desperate measures, fundamentally altering both mental state and behavior.
Key points:
Acute hunger creates intense physical pain and mental anguish, described as a “mental manacle” that makes it difficult to think about anything else.
People resort to extreme measures to survive, including eating non-food items (tree bark, grass, leaves), stealing, and in rare cases, cannibalism.
Famines create widespread social disruption, leading to phenomena like homeless children (“wandering swallows”), prostitution for food, and increased banditry.
Modern famines continue to occur (e.g., Madagascar 2021-2022), often exacerbated by climate change and social instability.
The suffering from extreme hunger can persist for years, contrary to common assumptions about acute suffering being short-term.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.