Module 1 - THE HUMAN SITUATION

0.  OBJECTIVES

• the place of social organization as an adaptive mechanism as part of nature and in the history of the earth (in a broad sense)
• the meanings of the concepts: human society, sociology, macrosociology, culture, tabula rasa
• the principle of ecological-evolutionary theory and its 3 main elements / assumptions: role of the environment, role of human nature, and role of culture

1.  INTRODUCTION

• Exhibit: Evolution of human societies as part of history of life on earth (Purcell 1982)

Q - Compared to the 4.6 billion years of existence of the earth, what is the approximate length of time of

1. existence of humans like us (Homo Sapiens Sapiens)?  A - about 125,000 years (this figure keeps changing as anthropologists discover new fossils)
2. the evolution of human societies beyond the ancestral hunting and gathering level?  A - about 10,000 years (since the emergence of plant cultivation / food production)

• Exhibit: Societies as part of nature (HS Figure 1.1 p. 6)

Q - Is society a uniquely human invention?

Society (i.e., social organization) is an adaptive mechanism (i.e., it increases the chances of survival of the organism) that evolved a number of times, independently, in widely separated animal lines (EX: among vertebrates - mammals, birds, fish; among insects - ants, termites, bees; among colonial invertebrates - sponges, corals)

Definitions:

Human society - a politically autonomous group of people which engages in a broad range of cooperative activities.

Sociology - the branch of science that specializes in the study of human societies.

Q - Find an example of a human society?  Of a human group that is not considered a society?
Q - Is sociology primarily the study of human emotions and values?

Compared to other sciences (such as astronomy, chemistry, biology) sociology emerged relatively late (late 19th century). Why?
Maybe because:

• the subject matter (society) is very complex
• it is often difficult to use the experimental method (for ethical or practical reasons)
• objectivity (detachment) is difficult to achieve with respect to own society, because of the power of ideology (akin to "resistance" of psychoanalysis?)

Approach in this course is:

• macrosociological
• historical & comparative
• based on ecological-evolutionary theory

2.  ECOLOGICAL-EVOLUTIONARY THEORY

1.  Role of the Environment

• biophysical (climate, landscape, fauna, etc.)
• social (other societies)

2.  Role of Common Human Genetic Heritage ("Human Nature")

Historically, there have been two polar answers to this question:

(1) Humans are basically animals and thus part of nature

VERSUS

(2) Humans have "escaped their genes" through the invention of culture and are thus unique among animals; this view is called the tabula rasa view

Q - What does tabula rasa mean?  In what language?
Q - Do the majority of scientists today believe in the tabula rasa view?

In the past three decades, scientific opinion has moved closer to pole (1), under the influence of sociobiology or evolutionary psychology (EX: Edward O. Wilson.  1975.  Sociobiology.; Richard Dawkins.  1976.  The Selfish Gene.) and the tabula rasa view (2) has been rejected by the majority of scientists.  A recent critique of the tabula rasa view can be found in the book by Steven Pinker.  2002.  The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature.

One way to "locate" the human species in nature is to look at traits shared with other animal species:

• Traits shared with all other species:
• underlying structure based on DNA
• humans are the product of, and subject to, biological evolution
• Traits shared with some species:
• mammals: warm blood, hair, internal fertilization, ...
• primates: vision, manual dexterity, social ties, capacity to learn, ... Note: chimpanzees and humans have 98% genes in common.
• Traits that are "uniquely" human:
• spoken language
• in general, a unusual capacity to create and manipulate symbols (this is the basis of culture, see next)