In L. Russ Bush’s Christian apologetic work, The Advancement: Keeping the Faith in an Evolutionary Age, he details the development and apparent fallacy associated with the modern naturalist worldview. Bush, a professor at Southeast Baptist Theological Seminary, focuses on the idea of inevitable progression within the modern worldview and provides an overview of this view’s promulgation within epistemology. Bush asserts Christians are no longer socially the majority in their beliefs regarding a world created by God and thus the civil authorities are no longer there to protect their beliefs, as in centuries past. Therefore, it is critical to have a Christian response to modern naturalism. Bush approaches this evolutionary worldview from a philosophical perspective and not as a scientist. The goal of his thesis is not to convince the reader of the scientific merits of Christianity, but to expose the erroneous beliefs found in the modern naturalistic worldview when compared to Christianity.…
Instructor: Dr. Joyce Parga; Email: j.parga@utoronto.ca Office hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 3-4 pm (or by appointment); Office: MW 382 Lecture meeting times and location: Tuesdays 1-3 pm in SW 319 Tutorials (labs): 5 Tuesdays across the semester during your 1-hr tutorial section in MW 329 Tutorial TA: Dejana Nikitovic; Email: dejana.nikitovic@mail.utoronto.ca; Office: MW 343 (Note: Tutorials begin in Week 3 on Tuesday May 21. See Tutorial Schedule at end of syllabus.) Course Description: This course will provide a basic introduction to Evolutionary Anthropology and Archaeology, aimed at students with no background in either field. Prerequisites: None Exclusions: ANT100Y, ANT101H Required Readings: All chapters listed below in the lecture schedule refer to the following course textbook, which is available for purchase from the UTSC bookstore: Lewis, B., Jurmain, R., and Kilgore, L., 2012. Understanding Humans: Introduction to Physical Anthropology and Archaeology, 11th edition. Belmont CA: Wadsworth. You can also purchase the text from the publisher as an e-book. Go to: http://www.nelsonbrain.com/shop/isbn/9781111831776 (On Blackboard, there is a PowerPoint file provided by the publisher about buying the e-book – look under “Course Materials”.) Lecture schedule: Following is a planned list of topics to be covered in lecture; note that topics are subject to change and all topics listed may not be covered, but you are responsible for doing all of the readings. Date 7 May 14 May 21 May Lecture Topic Course Intro /What is Anthropology/Evolution Genetics/Processes of Evolution Non-Human Primates/Primate Behaviour…
Specifically, Boas, in The Methods of Ethnology, argued against the various traditional evolutionary theories proposed by Morgan, Marx, Tylor and Spencer. Stating simply that these theories had a particular resilience, but lacked any sort of empirical evidence, Boas argued that the evolutionary theory was based on the counterfactual assumption that our culture was the most advanced and all others were merely following us (Boas, 134). After attacking the diffusionists by noting that their data was not competent enough, methodological difficulties, he responded to the view that historical particularism (Historical particularism argued that each society is a collective representation of its unique historical past. It showed that societies could reach the same level of cultural development through different paths) was atheoretical. How things are and how they come to exist can give only broad outlines of chronological events. Hence cultures are dynamic and in constant flux; every phenomenon is not only an effect, but also a cause. (Boas, 137) A point, taken to the extreme by Kroeber, but also put forth by Boas was that certain problems may be solved in only particular ways. Because humans are similar in their ``infrastructure'', they would tend to solve these problems in similar ways, leading towards the creation of similar traits. Hence, it is not about cultural achievement, but rather about particular conditions that exist at the moment when the new effect is obtained…
Zoës Kitchen began in 1995 as a family-run restaurant in Homewood, Alabama. The company's owner, president & CEO, John Cassismus had turned his attention from his own business ventures to the family business, with desires to build a world-class company. Mostly frequented by mothers with small children and white-collar employees in the area, the restaurant catered to those consumers with a desire for healthy foods at comparatively lower prices. As of December 2005 there were 16 locations in five different states. The brand was strong and synonymous with freshness, home-style goodness and family recipes. The menu boasted healthy selections, mostly with a Greek influence, (i.e. chicken pitas & roll-ups, salads & dinner plates) which consumers could also purchase in larger quantities for take-home consumption.…
The origin of human kind only goes so far back in which it is very difficult to research all accounts of such. Our prehistoric past does not reveal all of the sufficient documents in which we need to obtain different information about human kind. There is much lack of evidence that can help to further understand our past. To better help us, there are people who researches this call Ethnographer in which they study Anthropology, the study and research of the origin, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans. Two readings in which helps us to concentrate on cultural approaches towards anthropology are Argonauts of the Western Pacific by Bronislaw Malinowski and NISA, The Life and words of a !Kung woman by Marjorie Shostak.…
1. “The particular cultures and societies of Africa and of the Americas discussed in this chapter developed largely in isolation from one another.” What evidence would support this statement and what might challenge it?…
ANTH100 – Introduction to Anthropology APUS Assignment: Be An Anthropologist 2 Due by 11:59p on Sunday of Week 6 Purpose: The goal of this exercise is to observe a ‘cultural scene’ as an anthropologist would (i.e. based on everything you have learned in the course to-date). The student will analyze their observations in terms of themes from the subfield of cultural anthropology such as how it helps frame our societies (family, lifestyle, lineage, language and communication) and, in some ways, its evolution. Description: Culture as we have discussed in our readings and lecture notes is an incredible advantage that has allowed humans to enter almost every niche in nature. The development and maintenance of culture is what sets humans apart from…
—. The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism. Free Press, 2007. Web. 12 March 2013.…
Moreover, the material covered is highly specialized and may seem hard to follow for readers without a background in anthropology. There are several concepts, such as the idea of primate ancestry, that everyday people might not comprehend. This article might also receive resistance from those who do not agree with evolution, or even outright denial. I personally enjoy this article and the way the author presents the information. It is helpful for readers to have both sides of the argument, and Hoffman presents this skill when he includes the opposing views of other esteemed researchers. Not only does Hoffman present this information well, but also he ties the information with evidence from reliable sources, which boosts this article and keeps it entertaining. Hoffman is an excellent writer and does a good job stimulating his reader, assuming they have some background in anthropology or general…
Guns, Germs, And Steel is a historical analysis about anthropology & archaeology that opens with a prologue in which the author presents a question from a New Guinean politician and friend named Yali: why were Europeans able to conquer so many other societies around the world? This question, in the past, has often been answered in terms of genetics, a belief that Diamond sets out to disprove. People are not born superior to another group, Diamond contends. To provide a background for, as well as an argument to support, his own explanation, Diamond then briefly sketches millions of…
Turner provides a guideline on how anthropologists can adapt and engage in the discussion of multiculturalism. Cowan proves that there is a common ground between anthropology and other disciplines in terms of interpretations of culture and rights. Guelen provides a historical understanding of race and culture by looking at multiple discourses on those topics. Brown proposes a new theory of cultural relativism for the field of anthropology. Finally, Vertovec encourages anthropologists to change public perception by denouncing culturalism. The social construction of race and culture is one key idea that is predominant in the articles. They clearly prove how humans have this need to categorize individuals into groups. This can be seen by how the terms race and culture are historically changed by different scholars in order to fit their ideologies. In the end, as Vertovec argues, popularizing certain definitions of the term culture can indeed change people’s perceptions. Vertovec quotes Hannerz (1990) who argues that “many people tend to fall back on at least mild versions of cultural fundamentalism” (250). This is indeed true – for instance, there are many Americans (especially in the South) who take pride in their Confederate flag and argue that it is a symbol of Confederate nationalism…
Marshall Sahlins is one of the most prominent American anthropologists of our time. He holds the title of Charles F. Grey Distinguished Service Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago where he presently teaches. Marshall Sahlins', The Use and Abuse of Biology, is an excellent text, which attacks both the logical errors of sociobiology and its ideological distortions. His work focuses on demonstrating the power that culture has to shape people's perceptions and actions and that culture has a unique power to motivate people, which is not derived from biology or for that matter any other of the natural sciences. In the text, The Use And Abuse of Biology, Sahlins reveals his true worries that culture can be usurped as an independent super-organism directing all human thought, emotion and behavior and this in turn undermines the prestige or importance of cultural anthropology (His early work focuses on debunking the idea of 'economically rational man'). Sahlins de-constructs the interpretation of human societies performed by certain of the most eminent individuals such as sociobiologists. He argues that certain elements of human nature and civilization cannot be reduced to biological principles. He argues that the importance of anthropology as a science must contribute to understand the variety and unity of human cultures…
References: Boaz N.T. and A.J. Almquist. 1997. Biological Anthropology: A synthetic approach to human evolution. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.…
As a young child, I have had the pleasure of being exposed to many great people such…
Infertility is the inability of a couple to become pregnant. An advancement in the field of medicine has been used recently which helps childless couple to have their biological child. This advancement includes what the people call in vitro fertilization which results to what is commonly known as the test tube baby. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is the most common among the high-tech fertility treatments. It can help the woman conceive if she has ovulatory problems, if they have problems in the fallopian tubes, if their partner has low sperm count, or other fertility treatments are unsuccessful. It is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) where in one or more eggs are fertilized not in uterus but outside of the female’s body. Its result is often called the “test tube baby”. There are other techniques that can be used as an option such as Gamete Intrafallopian transfer and Zygote Intrafallopian transfer but In Vitro fertilization has better results.…