There's a longstanding hope that we can we discern humankind's true nature, by observing the way people lived before "civilization" complicated everything.
How far back does this hope go?
I'd say at least to Rousseau.
There's also a hope that we can do something similar by observing babies before they have been acculturated.
Again, I think you'll find
Rousseau's project comes to mind.
I think the results of such studies, when conducted scientifically, are useful for dealing with theorists who propose that human nature is more malleable than it really is.
To repeat, human nature
defies erasure.
From observing historical civilizations, it's clear that we are beings of an adaptable nature, but it's also clear that some forms of civilization are better suited to our thriving than others.
When a society is truly advanced,
human life is wildly enhanced.
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