Physical Anthropology and Cultural
Anthropology and Evolution
Evolution is the continuous change and advancement of an
organism, permitting a species to develop and improve upon its original,
ancestral form so that it can better survive in its current or new environment
(Park, 2008). Human evolution is a topic
that continues to develop, with ideas being changed, rearranged or created dependent
on the types of evidence that are found. As researchers learn more about the
evolutionary processes of humans and discover more artifacts and information,
the theories concerning evolution transform as well.
Anthropology as a whole is a study of continuous evolution:
biologically, culturally, linguistically, or archaeologically. These four
sub-fields of anthropology all study humans and the changes they went through
since their early beginnings as well as the changes they continue to go through,
so all anthropological fields study evolution in their own way. Through the
important anthropological fields of both physical and cultural anthropology and
their unique viewpoints, the theories of evolution are able to be studied,
refined, and communicated so that humankind can understand their beginnings.
Physical anthropology is the field that is most commonly
associated with the study of evolution. Physical, or biological, anthropology
concentrates “on humans as a biological species and study such topics as human
genetics, human evolution, the fossil record, and the biology of living populations”
(Park, 2008, 12). In terms of evolution, this means that physical
anthropology’s main topic of concern is the study of the continued evolution of
humankind through the traces that humans and their ancestors have left behind,
as well as the genetic material that can be provided today. To learn more about
the evolution of humans, physical anthropologists utilize various methods. One
item that they study is the fossil record. The study of fossils shows the
evolution of human ancestors, as well as the evolution of other animals.
Depending on the level that they fossils are found, shows an approximate age
and time period, allowing for a progression of each stage in the evolutionary
process. Another method is to compare the anatomy and genetics of current,
similar organisms with those from the past.
One way that physical anthropologists are using to study
evolution is human growth and development, both for modern and early humans. In
these studies, experts examine the growth rates of modern humans, other
primates, and the remains of early hominids in all stages of life. It is
important to have a comparison between the various stages of each species to
fully understand the rate and patterns of growth, although with the fossil
record it can often be difficult to pinpoint juvenile and adult fossils. These
studies have decided that the modern pattern of growth and development began
with the genus Homo and continued to
evolve in a wide range of patterns and at different times over a period of
several million years and as it did, it became progressively different from
non-human ancestors (Thompson,
Krovitz & Nelson, 2003). These studies have discovered that the australopithecines had a pattern unlike
both modern humans and apes, but were more similar to apes than humans. The
patterns in growth and development in Neandertals have also led to questions
about their place in human evolution. Only further study of the various stages
of and found fossils will see if these theories hold (Thompson, Krovitz & Nelson, 2003).
Cultural anthropology concentrates “on our species unique
ability to create ideas, behaviors, and technologies that we share with one another…they
study the nature of culture as a characteristic trait of our species and how
and why cultural systems differ among human societies” (Park, 2008, 12). Cultural anthropologists focus on humanity’s
various cultural systems and how they affect humans. In relation to evolution,
cultural anthropologists are concerned with how early culture contributed to
natural selection and the evolution of humans, as well as how culture itself
continues to evolve. Cultural anthropologists study the culture, consisting of
marriage and family systems, religious beliefs, social systems, worldview, and
other behaviors. Cultural anthropologists will often spend a lot of time with
the societies they are studying so that they can observe and collect first-hand
data. Not only do they collect data through observation, they may talk to the
members of society about their beliefs and behaviors, as well as taking
measurements and studying artifacts to get an in-depth understanding.
Culture is considered a part of human
biology and important to understanding human behavior. Evolution and natural
selection need culture to happen because only through culture can behaviors
needed for survival be passed on to further generations. Information not stored
in genes cannot be passed on without a culture available to inherit and
imitate. Imitation is an important survival trait because it allows species to
create an adaptation that may take much longer to create through genetic
evolution. In Not By Genes Alone: How
Culture Transformed Human Evolution (Richerson & Boyd,
2010) it is said that:
Culture affects
the success and survival of individuals and groups; as a result, some cultural
variants spread and others diminish, leading to evolutionary process that are
every bit as real and important as those that shape genetic variation. These
culturally evolved environments then affect which genes are favored by natural
selection. (p.4)
Both physical anthropologists and cultural anthropologists
use the scientific method to study evolution and create evolutionary theories
concerning the specific area of interest. They experience and observe, then
classify, organize and interpret the data. Using the data gathered, they both
then formulate a hypothesis. The hypothesis is tested and often then becomes a
theory. The difference between physical and cultural anthropology is in the
data collected. While both physical and cultural anthropology often rely on
field work, artifacts, and observation, it is the type of evidence and how it
is collected that make the areas differ. Physical anthropology is concerned with
their physical evidence and its interpretation – the fossil record and
genetic/DNA evidence. Cultural anthropology, while still interested in as a
biological aspect because culture is often considered a part of biology, frequently
uses more interpretation of behaviors than physical proof.
Upon researching these topics, the most interesting thing
learned is that culture is not just a set of learned behaviors – it consists of
biological influences, also. The decisions made by humans based on their
culture are often originated in something organic. Culture also played an
important part in natural selection and evolution. Behaviors learned through a
culture and imitated by others provided a better ability to survive than just
genes alone. Physical and cultural anthropology are both important in the study
of evolution because together they provide a full description of how humans
evolved, not just through biological process and natural selection but also
through behaviors leaned within a culture.
References
Park,
M. A. (2008). Introducing anthropology: An integrated approach. (4 ed.).
New York: McGraw-Hill.
Richerson, P., & Boyd,
R. (2010). Not by genes alone: How culture transformed human evolution.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Thompson,
J. L., Krovitz, G., & Nelson, A. (2003). Patterns of growth and
development in the genus homo. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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