Transcript Biological Anthropology

Biological Anthropology
Introduction to Biological Anthropology
What is Anthropology?
Anthropo logy
from the Greek
from the Greek
anthropos - ἄνθρωπος
legein - λέγω
meaning “man; man-faced; a
human being”
meaning “to speak”
Four-Field Anthropology
 Cultural Anthropology
 Archaeology
 Linguistic Anthropology
 Biological (or Physical) Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
 Focuses on the role culture plays in human life
 Culture is
 The primary means by which humans adapt
 Learned by individuals as they grow up within a group
 Passed on from generation to generation
 Constantly changing
Archaeology
 Focuses on human life in the past
 Humans of the past
 Relied on their cultures to adapt
 Shared many common features with recent and modern humans
 Saw their cultures change as a result of the same processes that change
cultures today
Linguistic Anthropology
 Focuses on the role language plays in human life
 Language is
 The primary means by which a human learns his/her culture
 Learned by individuals as they grow up within a group
 Passed on from generation to generation
 Constantly changing
Biological Anthropology
(aka“Physical Anthropology”)
 Focuses on humans as biological organisms
 Biological organisms
 Have similar features and needs
 Are the products of evolutionary and environmental forces
 Are genetically unique
Four-Field Anthropology
 Cultural Anthropology
 Archaeology
the cultural fields
 Linguistic Anthropology
 Biological (or Physical)
Anthropology
the biological field
 Applied Anthropology
(aka the “fifth field”)
making it relevant
Anthropology is a Biocultural Discipline
Cooked critters at the Beijing night market (December 2009)
Biological Anthropology
 Links the study of humans as individuals
who live in societies to the fact that we are
animals who live in groups
 An explicitly scientific field
 uses the tools of biology and other sciences
So let’s talk
about Science
Some Terms used in Science
• Hypothesis: a statement developed to explain a
phenomenon – must be testable/potentially falsifiable
• Data: the evidence that helps assess a hypothesis
• Empirical: derived from observations/experiments
• Theory: a set of explanatory principles (hypotheses) that
have not (yet) been falsified
Science is …
a process that develops provisional truths
That is, “truths” that may one day be replaced
by better “truths”
Science is not…
a process that develops absolute truths
That is, TRUTHS that may not be questioned and
can never be corrected or improved upon
Two Assumptions of Science
1) You explain natural phenomena only by referring
to other natural phenomena
Methodological materialism
(this is NOT the same as Philosophical Materialism)
2) If two models both explain the data, use the
simplest (unless you have a reason not to)
OCCAM’S RAZOR
Science can be understood as
a process of “modeling” reality
reality
A Theory Emerges
the first model
x+1=y
does not
explain
some
aspects of its
focus
predicts
outcomes
that will
not occur
Science Advances
a second, “better” model
x2 + 2z = 0
unexplained
phenomena
predicted,
but not
“real”
Comprehension Increases
another, even “better” model
predicted,
but not
“real”
unexplained
phenomena
Science as the Quest for
ever “better” models
Is there
a “perfect” model?
explains
all phenomena
that do exist
predicts
nothing
that does
not exist
Not yet…
Science as a
A “Paradigm Shift”
revolutionary process
scientific “revolution”
anomalies
“normal” science
The Copernican Revolution
the shift from a geocentric
(“earth-centered”)
to
a heliocentric
(“sun-centered”) model
of the solar system
An Immobile Earth
• All celestial objects move around the earth
• the heavens are perfect, the earth imperfect
• these Greek Ideas are adopted by Christian thinkers
• The Human drama is the reason for creation
• Earth is “center stage”
Challenging the geocentric view is heresy
Two Different Explanations
The Geocentric View
Different celestial objects move in
very different ways
The Heliocentric View
The Earth moves in the same way as
other celestial objects
Nicholas Copernicus
• 1473-1543
• Physician, lawyer, church
administrator
• De Revolutionibus
Orbium Coelestium (“On
the Revolutions of the
Celestial Orbs”)
published in 1543
Heliocentric Worldview
• the planets all move in a similar
manner
•
Retrograde Mars (and Uranus)
Credit & Copyright: Tunc Tezel
Heliocentrism
•
makes fewer assumptions
•
has greater applicability
• the movements of celestial
objects can be explained and
predicted
But acceptance was slow, as
heliocentrism seemed absurd
• If the earth is moving, how can a stone that is thrown
straight up come straight down?
• If the earth is a planet, why is it the only one with a
moon?
• If the earth did move, why did the relative positions of
the stars not (why would space be that big?)
Galileo Galilei
• Born 1564
• Begins studies at
University of Pisa in 1581
• 1592 – appointed
professor of
mathematics at
University of Padua
Galileo Galilei
• 1609 – makes his first
telescope
• Discovers
•
•
•
•
Sunspots
Rings of Saturn
Phases of Venus
Satellites of Jupiter
Galileo’s notes of his observations of
Jupiter and its moons; January 1610
Galileo Galilei
• Dialogue Concerning the Two
Chief World Systems (1633)
• Condemned by the Roman
Inquisition in 1633
• Under house arrest from 1633
until his death in 1642
Science as a
revolutionary process
the “revolution” – earth goes around sun
anomalies – planetos
“normal” science – sun goes around earth
Another Scientific Revolution
Some of van Leeuwenhoek’ instruments
(replicas)
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek
(1632-1723)
Spermatozoa by van Leeuwenhoek
originally published in
Philosophical Transactions, 1678-9
The first image of microbes (1683)
(the dotted line between C and D indicates motility)
Van Leeuwenhoek’s Work would ultimately lead to
Louis Pasteur
(1822-1895)
Robert Koch
(1843-1910)
Joseph Lister
(1827-1912)
the discovery that microscopic organisms can cause
illness and death
Things to remember
• Scientific discovery is driven by the community of scientists, who
actively look for problems with theories
• Scientific truths are provisional, as better models are continually
being pursued
• Science is a self-correcting process
• Scientific discoveries may contradict cherished notions of what the
world is like
Science takes place in a Social Context
This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a
theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This
material should be approached with an open mind, studied
carefully, and critically considered.
Approved by the Cobb County Board of Education
Thursday, March 28, 2002
SCIENCE TAKES PLACE IN A SOCIAL CONTEXT