Biological evolution and natural selection are the forces that shape organisms.
Beginning at some point in time in the distant past, culture began to influence
human development, changing the relationship of humans to their environment
from one of strict biology to a mixture of biology and culture. Over the millennia,
culture has become more complex and influential in human affairs, and the
role of biology has diminished.
To be sure, humans still require a certain level of nutrition, have physical limits
to their physiological adaptations, and are still subject to the rules of biological
evolution. Today, however, biology plays only a minor role in human
adaptation, and now most of the problems posed by the environment have to be
solved through the mechanism of culture.
Much of the ecological work relating to humans has centered on diet and subsistence.
Subsistence is not simply a list of foods but a complex system that includes
resources, technology, social and political organizations, settlement
patterns, and all of the other aspects of making a living. Subsistence is one of the
vast complexities of human behavior largely related to culture. By focusing on
food, much of the behavior of people has been excluded from many ecological
studies (Jochim 1981:ix). Once we get past the emphasis on food, however, we
can begin to look at the influence that other behaviors have on the adaptations
of human cultures (e.g., Goodman et al. 2000). The field of cultural ecology focuses
on discovering cultural adaptations.
Biological evolution and natural selection are the forces that shape organisms.Beginning at some point in time in the distant past, culture began to influencehuman development, changing the relationship of humans to their environmentfrom one of strict biology to a mixture of biology and culture. Over the millennia,culture has become more complex and influential in human affairs, and therole of biology has diminished.To be sure, humans still require a certain level of nutrition, have physical limitsto their physiological adaptations, and are still subject to the rules of biologicalevolution. Today, however, biology plays only a minor role in humanadaptation, and now most of the problems posed by the environment have to besolved through the mechanism of culture.Much of the ecological work relating to humans has centered on diet and subsistence.Subsistence is not simply a list of foods but a complex system that includesresources, technology, social and political organizations, settlementpatterns, and all of the other aspects of making a living. Subsistence is one of thevast complexities of human behavior largely related to culture. By focusing onfood, much of the behavior of people has been excluded from many ecologicalstudies (Jochim 1981:ix). Once we get past the emphasis on food, however, wecan begin to look at the influence that other behaviors have on the adaptationsof human cultures (e.g., Goodman et al. 2000). The field of cultural ecology focuseson discovering cultural adaptations.
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