What Makes us Human?
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Transcript What Makes us Human?
WHAT MAKES US HUMAN?
Adapted from https://sites.google.com/site/highlandhsp3m/unit-1-what-makes-us-human
WHAT MAKES US HUMAN?
What does being human mean to you?
What distinguishes humans from animals?
Take a moment an think. REALLY think.
WHAT MAKES US HUMAN?
Anthropologists = Evolution
Psychologists = Cognitive process
and personality
Sociologists = Culture
WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
Very simply....
Anthropologists ask:
Where did we come from?
What are we?
Where are we going?
Read Wright excerpt
WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
WHAT MAKES US HUMAN?
Anthropologists use human biological evolution
to answer the question of what makes humans
different from animals
They use fossils, cultural remains and the study
of DNA as evidence supporting the development
of humanity.
ANTHROPOLOGICAL: HUMAN EVOLUTION
Physical Anthropologists study human biological
evolution
Palaeontology
– study of fossils
Archaeology – study of cultural remains -- ?
ANTHROPOLOGICAL: PROOF OF EVOLUTION
Jacques Boucher de Crevecoeur (1788 – 1868)
Found
stones shaped into tools and weapons
Primitive weapons less advanced than what can be
created today
Shows evolution
PROOF OF EVOLUTION
Neanderthals
Did
not evolve tool making
Survived for millions of years but eventually died out
ANTHROPOLOGICAL: PROOF OF EVOLUTION
Charles Darwin (1809 -1882)
Studied on the Galapagos islands
Found that within each group of
plant or animal there was variation
Natural Selection:
Animals and plants adapt
to their environment to
survive and produce similar
offspring. Survival of the
Fittest
HUMAN EVOLUTION
It was thought that humans followed the same
patterns of evolution.
In 1924 Raymond Dart discovered the fossil of a
child in South Africa
Australopithecus
Africanus
Subsequent discoveries showed an evolutionary
pattern
ANTHROPOLOGICAL: PROOF OF EVOLUTION
Human brains got larger
Faces got smaller
HUMANS VS PRIMATES
The genetic make up of humans and primates
varies by only 1-2 percent
Why are we the dominate species?
HUMANS VS PRIMATES
Features we share:
Opposable
thumbs
3 dimensional vision (allows us to judge distances)
Our children remain dependant for a long time and
require a lot of care to learn and develop
HUMANS VS PRIMATES
Highly developed brain which allows us to learn and
think (however the human brain is more developed)
Social (humans more advanced)
Can be aggressive and territorial
WHAT MAKES HUMANS HUMAN
There are many different opinions as to which
factor is the most important in human evolution
Bipedalism
– the ability to walk upright over long
distances and perform tasks while standing
Ability to communicate complex and abstract ideas
through language
It is thought the combination of using tools, hunting
in a group and communicating with language led to
the rapid growth of the human brain
Our ability to share/cooperate with others
Developed symbols and art
WHAT MAKES US HUMAN - PSYCHOLOGY
1)
2)
3)
The Brain
The Cognitive Process (advanced reasoning,
problem solving, complexity of our thinking)
Personality
THE BRAIN
The Central Core: All vertebrates
Controls
basic functions (breathing, eating)
The Cerebrum: Sets us apart from other species.
Controls
human senses, thoughts, language, memory
THE COGNITIVE PROCESS
How we acquire, store and use knowledge
REASONING
Use information to draw conclusions
– uniquely human
Deductive Reasoning (general to specific):
Eg.
All humans have brains – Sonia is a human –
Therefore Sonia has a brain.
Inductive Reasoning (specific to general):
Eg. Most men enjoy sports – I am a man – I enjoy
sports
PROBLEM SOLVING
Humans problem solve throughout the day
Can use reasoning to help solve problems
1.
2.
3.
4.
Identify the problem
Develop a strategy to solve the problem (trial and
error, hypothesis, rule of thumb, insight)
Carry out the strategy
Determine if the strategy worked
COMPLEXITY OF OUR THINKING
Complexity of our thinking
Human are able to think about what others are
thinking.
Humans are able to think within different time
frames
We
can remember the past and consider what might
happen in the future.
PERSONALITY
Characteristics and behaviours that make us
unique
It is thought that our personality is shaped by our
genetics and environment (nature – nurture)
PERSONALITY
Animals may appear to have personality traits
This may be more the result of instinct and
conditioning
WHAT MAKES US HUMAN: SOCIOLOGY
Sociologists characterize a human as different
from animals because of human culture.
Culture: The abilities, ideas and behaviours
people have acquired to become members of
society
O Canada
Hockey
Canadian flag
CULTURE
Symbols
Something
or someone that represents something
else.
Symbols have a particular meaning for people
CULTURE
Human culture (beliefs, ideas, behaviours) is
constantly evolving and changing.
It is through interactions in society that culture
develops.
To be part of the human culture we need to
cooperate, have laws/rules and have a capacity
for knowledge (we can learn and teach others)