Evolution of culture, Biology

Assignment Help:

A general agreerncnt anlong nll the human evolutionists who may have a very radical philosophical hackground and convictions is that man is the result of an extraordinary evolutionary process. Whereas evidence is available from fossil remains of our ancestors and relatives for the comparative morphology and even anatomy to structure a biological classification, fossil forms do not record the behavioural aspects of man. Essentially the artifacts or the environment in which the fossils were found have to be examined judiciously to draw inferences, relating to the behaviour and cultural aspects. For instance, aggressiveness is a behaviour pattern but this behaviour pattern cannot be fossilised. On the other band, the environment in which the sharp fossile tool, and the fossils of big animals killed by game hunting speak volumes of the aggressive behaviour of the men of the times. The uniqueness of man can be attributed to the instinctive culture that he has evolved. Culture is sum total of a store of information and behaviour patterns. This is inherited by one generation from the other by instruction and learning and by examples and imitation. In other words, although the culture by itself may not be controlled by genes, the capacity tc acquire it is determined genetically. As we discussed in our earlier section, the symbol systems should have played a significant role in the transmission of cultures. Because of this difference that the culture is not transmitted by genes, it is called "superorganic". This notion is not necessarily true. After all it is only the possessors of the human genotype who can acquire, transmit, innovate or transmute culture. In other words, human genotypes are indispensible for culture although the genotypes themselves do not decide which one of the variants of the existing cultures they will acquire. It amounts to saying that there are no genes for Hindu, Islamic, Sikh, American, Chinese or European cultures. The acquiring of a particular culture depends on the environment in which a child is brought up. The same argument can be extended to the concept of the learning and using of a language. Such acts although are decided by genes, the genes do not decide which particular language will be learnt.


Related Discussions:- Evolution of culture

Explain the senses taste and smell, Explain the senses taste and smell ? ...

Explain the senses taste and smell ? The pigmented cone cells of the retina transmit information to bipolar nerve cells, then to ganglion cells, and on to the optic nerve and t

Chambers of the heart, Chambers of the Heart The heart is divided in...

Chambers of the Heart The heart is divided into two halves by a muscular wall or septum, the right heart and the left heart. The function of the right heart is to collect

What are allosteric enzymes, Allosteric enzymes are those that have more ac...

Allosteric enzymes are those that have more activation center and to which other substances known as allosteric regulators bind. Allosteric regulators can be allosteric inhibito

Define the effect of niacin deficiency on skin, Define the effect of niacin...

Define the effect of niacin deficiency on Skin? Dermatitis is the characteristic feature of the' disease, It is symmetrical in distribution. In early stages, a bright red eryt

Is the esophagus a muscular organ, Is the esophagus a muscular organ? Why e...

Is the esophagus a muscular organ? Why even in a patient lying totally flat on a hospital bed can the swallowed food reach the stomach? The esophagus is a predominantly muscula

Tuberculosis, T ub e rc u l o si s Tuberculosis in animal is ca...

T ub e rc u l o si s Tuberculosis in animal is caused by Mycobacterium bovis , M. tuberculosis and M. avium and among these the most important causal agent is M.

Unconventional feed resources and anti-nutritional factors, Unconventional ...

Unconventional Feed Resources and Anti-Nutritional Factors With increasing ruminant population, there is a need to identify and introduce new and lesser-known food and feed cro

Explain procedure for temporary mounts of fungal culture, Explain Procedure...

Explain Procedure for Temporary Mounts of Fungal Culture? (1) Observe mould culture for the colonial appearance and colour. Also observe the underside. (2) Label the clean,

Netlike membranous complex of superposed flat saccules, Q. A netlike membra...

Q. A netlike membranous complex of superposed flat saccules with vesicles detaching from the extremities seen in electronic microscopy. What is the observed structure? What is its

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd