Lesson 4: Looking Back at Human Biocultural and Social Evolution Flashcards
refers to
the process whereby organisms
undergo various genetic and
physical changes that pave the
way for biological diversity.
Biological Evolution
a
noted Spanish-American biologist, the
theory of evolution in biology suggests
that, “the various types of plants, animals
and other living things on earth have
their origins in other pre-existing types
and the distinguishable differences are
due to modifications in successive
generations.”
Francisco Jose Ayala
they
learned to create various tools and
equipment for their daily tasks such as
planting crops, domesticating animals
and trade.
Technological Evolution
_________________ introduced the concept of
Biocultural Evolution sometime in the 1970s.
Anthropologists
The concept focuses on the idea that “ biology
makes culture possible and that developing culture
further influences the direction of biological
evolution.
Biocultural Evolution
came up with an
evolutionary scheme that divided
history into 3 stages of development
Lewis Henry Morgan
3 stages of development
Savage stage
Barbaric stage
Civilized stage
is the
lowest stage of
development which is
exemplified by the
nomadic and hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
Savage stage
is the
middle stage of
development where
people began learning
agricultural techniques
and the domestication of
animals.
Barbaric stage
is the
highest stage of
development where
people learned writing.
Civilized stage
postulated that the
accumulation of private
property paved the way for the
collapse of primitive
communities and the
establishment of a class-based
society.
Friedrich Engels
applied Charles Darwin’s
principles of biological evolution
to social evolution.
Herbert Spencer
it is
believed that societies cannot be classified
according to definite stages of
development, and that one society cannot
claim to be more “advanced” than other
societies.
Nonevolutionary Perspective
The main proponent of
cultural relativism. He
argued that human
behavior is not rooted in
biology but is socially
constructed.
Franz Boas
-The earliest societies were comprised of
hunters-gatherers.
-They were basically
small and nomadic family groups and were
plainly organized.
-These groups were
believed to be highly egalitarian and
nonhierarchical since distinctions were
based on age,sex,and division of labor was
natural.
Band-level Societies
