Question

Explain the transformation of human societies from hunting and gathering to sedentary agriculture. Is the idea of progress needed to understand this transformation, or is this just our Western notion to reinforce misunderstandings of Darwinian evolution, as change equals a better life?

Answer 1

Human started agriculture at the time of their transformation of nomadic life to social life. This development had a strong effect on human society. As agriculture changed from the natural environment to that of tilled fields and pastures, growing crops became a selective process. The Agricultural Revolution, which coincided with the climate change at the conclusion of the last ice age, had a dramatic impact on humanity. Farming allowed humans to form permanent settlements and abandon their nomadic ways. Humans shifted from hunting and gathering models to fixed farming villages.

The primary institution is the family, which decides how food is to be shared and how children are to be socialized, and which provides for the protection of its members. They tend to be small, with fewer than fifty members.

Darwinian evolution as a change equals a better life would be considered as Darwin is still a person with unique personalities, and by revisiting his life we could unveil how his thoughts came to be and how his theory of evolution is sparked. Living in a very private, remote estate, Darwin had a wealthy heritage which provided him with ample time and financial support to pursue his interests. Because of his remote location, most of the communications with his scientific colleagues are achieved through mails, and this large amount of correspondence left us with a rather streamlined thought process of how his theory took its shape. First, through those mails, we could see that he was a very organized person, and made decisions through listing pros and cons. One example was when deciding whether or not to get married, he listed the pros and cons of marriage, and in the end concluding that dying alone would be worse that having too much company.