Throughout undergrad I have taken many classes that intersect on the concepts of evolution and development of various species and organisms overtime. I find that this course overlaps several key concepts with evolution from an anthropology perspective. Within this course, I have already noticed a connection between evolution and concepts within anthropology: biology, culture, and history. As a psychology major, I find it interesting to learn about various behaviors and discover the cause for each behavior from an evolutionary perspective.
The material in this class addresses to better understand behaviors during evolution. For example, in the article Alters statement “Evolution is therefore a unifying theme among many sciences, providing students with a framework by which to understand the natural world from many perspectives” is fairly crucial in within the science fields and ways to better understand the natural world. As a clinical scientist, I am familiar with looking at various factors and addressing a question through several perspectives. I think it is important in science to observe all the possibilities and solutions. Especially with scientific questions and observations, it is important to be familiar with history and evolution. By understanding these two major concepts, one can better understand the role humans and other living organisms play and the behaviors that have developed over time. By diving deeper into these complex topics, one can make new discoveries and simplify the complex.
After watching the suggested videos in relation to our genes, it is truly remarkable how advanced scientific research has become and the extensive knowledge we have received. For instance, I find it amazing that scientists have developed the tools to trace back our ancestors and connect to other species. With this knowledge scientists can continue to answer the big mysteries in evolution, and possibly predict the future for humans and future generations. By understanding genes, we can expand on various subjects related to: health, nutrition, DNA, biology, and other factors.
I find anthropology to be fairly fascinating because you are constantly observing the world with an interdisciplinary approach. The concepts from the article and this class connect several other disciplines including philosophy and psychology. Sharing a broad range of subjects not only provides additional knowledge, but additionally connects various behaviors and factors together. For example, when studying evolution one is observing the biological, environmental, and psychological factors overtime. This knowledge can spark new questions and lead to new predictions and scientific projects. Similar to clinical psychologists observing the natural world and conducting new experiments, anthropologists have the freedom to test various studies in order to gain new findings. As human beings, it is crucial to know our history and evolution. By understanding the various factors that interplay in evolution we can create a better generation and do what is best for our survival. In addition, I think this knowledge can help bring groups together and find a sense of community, as well as answer several of our questions. These topics are truly interesting, and I look forward to learning more throughout the duration of this class.
Hi! I like how your post includes multiple fields and examples – much like how you say you look at things from multiple perspectives! Also, I noticed you mentioned clinical psychology. This is what I am going in to as I am also a psychology major! Even just in psychology itself there are many perspectives on evolution and human variation. Have you ever heard of evolutionary psychology or studied some of the components of it? It is quite interesting to see how these professionals can use the basic principles and ideas of evolution and apply it to behaviors we see today. In my blog post, I discussed how evolutionary psychology explains a common phobia through the evolutionary lens. Something I thought of after reading your post was the concept of not believing in evolution and how that would affect the things we are talking about here and in this class.