Soci111 – Human Societies
Module 1 – The Human Situation
François Nielsen
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill
September 15, 2016
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Outline
Main Themes
Human Societies in Nature
Society as Adaptive Mechanism
Societies & Sociology
Ecological-Evolutionary Approach
Assumptions
Ecological-Evolutionary Model
Summary & Preview
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Main Themes
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social organization is part of the natural world
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social organization is an adaptive mechanism
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meanings of concepts society, sociology, macrosociology,
culture, tabula rasa
3 main elements of ecological-evolutionary theory:
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1. environment
2. human nature
3. culture
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ecological-evolutionary model
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Human Societies in Nature
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Human Societies in Nature
The solar system was formed 4,600 my (million years) ago.
By comparison:
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Human Societies in Nature
The solar system was formed 4,600 my (million years) ago.
By comparison:
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Last common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans lived
7–5 my ago
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Human Societies in Nature
The solar system was formed 4,600 my (million years) ago.
By comparison:
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Last common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans lived
7–5 my ago
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Humans like us (Homo Sapiens Sapiens) appeared only
0.125 my ago.
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Human Societies in Nature
The solar system was formed 4,600 my (million years) ago.
By comparison:
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Last common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans lived
7–5 my ago
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Humans like us (Homo Sapiens Sapiens) appeared only
0.125 my ago.
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Human societies did not evolve beyond ancestral hunting and
gathering stage until 0.01 my (10,000 years) ago (beginning
of plant cultivation / food production).
The bulk of socio-cultural evolution took place over the last 10,000
years!
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Human Societies in Nature – Another View
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Human Societies in Nature
Society as Adaptive Mechanism
Is social organization a uniquely human invention?
No, for at least two reasons.
1. Any sexual species is at least minimally social (i.e., finding a
mate)
2. Social organization is an adaptive mechanism (i.e., it increases
the chances of survival of the organism) that evolved a number
of times, independently, in widely separated animal lines, e.g.
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among vertebrates: mammals (lions), birds (geese), . . .
among insects: ants, termites, bees, . . .
among colonial invertebrates: sponges, corals, . . .
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Human Societies in Nature
Societies & Sociology
Human society a population constitues a society to the extent that
it politically autonomous and the members engage in
a broad range of cooperative activities.
Sociology the branch of science that specializes in the study of
human societies.
Sociology is the search of explanations and theories of social
phenomena, addressing the question: “Why are things the way
they are?”
Q – Find an example of
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a human society
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a human group that is not considered a society
Q – Is sociology primarily the study of human emotions and values?
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Human Societies in Nature
Societies & Sociology
Microsociology is study of component parts of societies
(individuals, families, classes . . . ) or specific
phenomena (crime, religion, politics . . . )
Macrosociology is the branch of sociology that studies large social
systems, especially human societies and the world
system of societies.
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Human Societies in Nature
Societies & Sociology
Compared to other sciences (such as astronomy, chemistry, biology)
sociology emerged relatively late in the history of science (late 19th
century).
Why?
Maybe because:
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the subject matter (society) is very complex
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it is often difficult to use the experimental method (for ethical
or practical reasons)
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objectivity (detachment) is difficult to achieve with respect to
own society, because of the power of ideology (akin to
“resistance” of psychoanalysis?)
Q – Think of an example of a topic that is highly sensitive (“taboo”)
in American society today.
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Ecological-Evolutionary Approach
Assumptions
Approach adopted in this course is:
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macrosociological
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historical & comparative
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based on ecological-evolutionary theory
Q – What is macrosociology?
A – “Macrosociology is the branch of sociology that studies large
social systems, especially human societies and the world system of
societies.”
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Ecological-Evolutionary Approach
Ecological-Evolutionary Model
Ecological-evolutionary theory attempts to explain characteristics
of human societies. It postulates important roles of:
É The society’s environment: Human societies are shaped by
their environment, both:
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biophysical environment (climate, landscape, fauna, etc.)
social environment (other societies)
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The common human genetic heritage (“human nature”)
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The society’s cultural heritage:
Culture = the symbol systems of a society and the
information they convey.
Q – Find an example of the way the environment influences an
aspect of a human society.
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Ecological-Evolutionary Approach
Ecological-Evolutionary Model
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Ecological-Evolutionary Approach
Ecological-Evolutionary Model
In the ecological-evolutionary model, characteristics of a society
are viewed as affected by the society’s environment, human nature,
and the society’s cultural heritage.
In turn human activity in societies can affect the environment,
human genetic heritage, and the cultural heritage.
Q – Think of an example how a human society affects its physical
environment, its social environment, its genetic heritage.
Q – What are the three main assumptions/elements of the
ecological-evolutionary theory of society?
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Summary & Preview
Important ideas in this module are:
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Society is a mechanism of adaptation that evolved repeatedly
in nature.
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The ecological-evolutionary model of society emphasizes
effects of environment, common human genetic heritage, and
culture.
Preview:
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The rest of the course uses the ecological-evolutionary
perspective to understand the evolution of human societies
over the past 10,000 years.
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