History The problem of the uncanny valley

[Yinko]

First off, the origin of the question.

Spoiler

Read this and had a couple of different explanations spring to mind.

• Sociopaths (I think this is the generally accepted answer)
• Aliens (popular idea with a certain subset of the population)
• Fey/Spirits (popular with a different subset of the population)
• Other hominids (there's a reason we are the only hominids left)
• Extended from the xenophobia instinct
• There's no reason, it's just something left over from evolution

The first three explanations all rely on expressions being slightly off, which may be part of it, but I don't think is the same thing. The unsettled feeling that people get with uncanny valley isn't quite the same as they get with a creepy weirdo. Of course, if outsiders are actually coming here and pretending to be human, to a large enough extent that there is selective pressure to be able to recognize that, then problem solved.

The idea that this was based on excluding other hominids is interesting. Trouble is, we definitely fucked those same hominids... Not that the internet hasn't shown we'd fuck things that horrify us, but it does make this explanation less likely.

The last two are basically related, in that the explanation would be that this is all somewhat incidental. The uncanny valley effect would have almost never occurred in history (unless the assumption of the OP is correct and this was specifically selected for) and this would be tied to some other mental process but as a glitch. The issue with this is that our instinctive reaction to the shape of a relaxed snake, and of their style of motion, is a trait that has been selected for and which seems to have degraded over time due to urbanization.

Thoughts?

 

[Doomsought]

Have you ever looked at someone with Fetal Alcohol syndrome? FAS face is in the uncanny valley.

So are many other birth defects.

 

[ATP]

Fey.There is too many legends among almost all people in the world about beings like them.
According to what i read,icelanders still belive in invisible elfs,and never disturb their places.

Althought some,like centaurs or polish imps,could be explained logically.

 

[colorles]

Most likely enemy hominid sub-species/tribes. Some of which could have been highly predatory. Can picture a scene in prehistory where an un-human, enemy hominid kills a human and makes a pelt out of his/or skin, something like this with the face skin covering its face

not to mention humans and near-human tribes would frequently wear deer pelts and antlers to disguise themselves when hunting deer / caribou. what would stop a near-human hominid from killing a human and wearing the pelt to try to look more human, at least enough so to get close enough to its prey?

 

[ATP]

Most likely enemy hominid sub-species/tribes. Some of which could have been highly predatory. Can picture a scene in prehistory where an un-human, enemy hominid kills a human and makes a pelt out of his/or skin, something like this with the face skin covering its face

not to mention humans and near-human tribes would frequently wear deer pelts and antlers to disguise themselves when hunting deer / caribou. what would stop a near-human hominid from killing a human and wearing the pelt to try to look more human, at least enough so to get close enough to its prey?

Aztecs wear human pelts,and they were homo sapiens,so...why not?