Cultural Evolution free essay sample

The concept of cultural evolution has had a problematic history because its initial usage became linked to 19th century efforts by Western societies to justify their dominance over other societies. Despite this initial misuse, however, cultural evolution remains an important mainstay of anthropological research. As currently used, the concept parallels biological evolution in the sense that societies frequently acquire and spread important traits as they adapt to the pressures confronting them.A very simple example might be a coastal society developing increasingly superior technologies for acquiring food from the ocean in response to the demands of a growing population for food or to the disappearance of land-based food resources. But such adaptations are found in social, political, and economic organization as well as to other facets of a society. Of course, not every cultural trait emerges as an adaptation. Many – such as the tail fins on cars or details of religious doctrine – arise because of the society’s history, the actions of specific individuals, and other factors which belong to the society itself and are not generally shared with others. We will write a custom essay sample on Cultural Evolution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But many traits of central importance to a society are adaptations to the society’s problems. Furthermore, as different societies grow in size and complexity, they predictably encounter the same problems.The existence of these common problems creates the basis for the evolutionary â€Å"stages† or â€Å"types of society† described by Evans because generally human societies reshape themselves in fairly similar ways to solve these problems. 1. With what â€Å"modes† of sociocultural integration does Evans categorize pre-industrial societies (p. 23-5)? Subsistence, Economy, Territory, Population and settlement pattern, Community, Society, Politics, Religion 2. Clearly, the terms which Evans uses to label the â€Å"modes† of sociocultural integration are adjectives which describe social relationships among individuals in a society.So why does the table on p. 24-5 use information about â€Å"Territory† and â€Å"Population and settlement patterns† to classify societies into these categories? It is important to use these aspects to classify societies because â€Å"there is no evidence for unilinear evolution†(p. 23). Depending on the type of society the territory and settlement patterns do describe relationships among individuals in a society. For example, in the Egalitarian system bands may share a common area and know the various â€Å"rules† in which they use the area. 3. Which of the â€Å"modes† described by Evans seems closest to your own society?Politics and religion in the â€Å"Ranked† system are closest to our society. For the remaining modes, our society most closely resemble the â€Å"Stratified† system. 4. The â€Å"modes† as well as the â€Å"Types of society† given in Evans’s table are often described as â€Å"Levels of Complexity†. What evidence do you see in the table that Ranked Societies (Chiefdoms) really have a more complex organization than do Egalitarian Societies (Bands and Tribes)? There is evidence that the â€Å"Ranked† societies are more complex as there are more people and facets to this type of society.This system is farming and hunting, so there are enough people to hunt for those staying and farming. The economy experiences more complexity and diversity as there is less movement than the â€Å"Stratified† societies. Due to the size of the community in a â€Å"Ranked† system there is a need for leaders to specific positions to keep order to the chiefdoms. 5. How is a cultural evolutionary framework useful in understanding the differences between the religions found in tribal societies, chiefdoms, and states (p. 34)? Specifically, how does the role of religion differ in each kind of society?The â€Å"Egalitarian† societies kept the immediate group, plants and animals sacred. The â€Å"Ranked† societies focused religion on the crops they grew and the plants and animals they used in particular, and the most important family in the tribe were seen as the ones with â€Å"direct relationship to supernatural powers. † In the â€Å"Stratified† communities religion was sanctioned with specific rules and places for worship. 6. What is the principle of cultural ecology (p. 51)? How is it important to the study of cultural evolution? Cultural ecology is a feedback loop.Human interaction with the environment will produce positive or negative responses, which eventually affect humans. It is important to study cultural evolution because history has a way of repeating itself. 7. What is the culture core (p. 51)? What are its three basic components (margin note on p. 52)? Culture core is evaluating how cultures survived, or what they were missing that led to demise. It kind of reminds me of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs but on a community or cultural level. The three basic components are Ideology, Organization, and Technology.