Essay about Natural Selection, Scale, and Cultural Evolution

Evolution can be seen throughout all aspects of life, but for each aspect evolution does not occur in the same process. In his article entitled â€Å"Natural Selection, Scale, and Cultural Evolution,† Dunnell emphasizes and explains why evolution has made such a small impact on archaeology. Cultural evolution and biological evolution are not the same. Biological evolution uses theoretical propositions that explain the mechanisms of biological adaptation and evolution. The laws of cultural evolution â€Å"are not theoretical propositions but rather empirical generalizations† (Dunnell, 1996: 25). Cultural evolution does not explain the differences among the occurrences cultural phenomena. Dunnell’s main goal is to effectively formulate ways to†¦show more content†¦Evolutionary thought is harder to apply to anthropology because humans are verbal beings which is exactly what socialcultural anthropologists study (Dunnell, 1996). Even though the potential of evolutionary concepts in anthropology may appear to be straightforward, Dunnel says that applying them is another matter that needs some explanation. First, evolution requires three mechanisms: variation, heritability, and selection. Dunnel states, â€Å"Variation in form arises in the biological world through mutation and through sexual reproduction in higher plants and animals. This variation is transmitted in biological systems genetically. Selection then acts, through differential reproductive success, to alter the frequency of forms in subsequent generations† (Dunnel 1996: 27). In other words, variations are seen because mutations take place and are passed on to the next generation genetically. Selection then changes the frequency at which that trait is seen. To encompass human culture into this method, the process requires a second mean of character transfer because culture is not tied to an individuals’ lifetime and thus may act fas ter than normal genetic change would (Dunnell, 1996). The transmission of cultural traits is similar to the transmission of genetic traits. However, the transmissions differ at the level at which the traits are transmitted, thus natural selection canShow MoreRelatedEvolution And Its Impact On Human Evolution910 Words   |  4 Pagesevolutionary development. Evolution is often thought of as a natural process, and were it not for humans, this might be true. However, evolution, in the strictest sense, is a change in the genetic structure of a population (Jurmain, et al., 5). While natural selection is a major contributor to the process of evolution, humans are no longer as heavily influenced by these forces, as they once were. 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