Who Tamed Fire First?
The farther back in time we explore, the more room there seems to be for discrepancy among various theories regarding the history of the earth. One of the many disputed aspects of history concerns the nature of the relationship between humans and the environment. This paper will focus on the debate of the origin of first tamed fire. Was it Homo erectus or Homo sapiens?
The widely accepted big bang theory of evolution "paints Homo erectus as no more than a smart ape," (McCrone, New Scientist, May 20, 2000, 31) with a, "15-minute culture," (McCrone, 34) incapable of manipulating his surrounding environment. Though even if we were to believe he was physically capable of accomplishing this act, McCrone explains, "controlling fire simply seemed too intellectually sophisticated a feat for this creature," who were, "primitive toolmakers, and showed no signs of symbolic thinking over the next million or more years of their existence," (McCrone, 31). Under this theory, any remains of fires from his time are written off as bush fires, lightning strikes, and other such naturally induced occurrences. It is not until Homo sapiens comes along that humans are considered to have begun to "master" their environment.
A recent, more scientifically based analysis of ancient Chinese fires supports this same stance that Homo erectus was not the first to tame fire. The geological analysis took place at the Zhoukoudian site in China, where an opposing theory marks the first controlled fire at 500,000 years ago by Homo erectus' hands, (Wuethrich, Science Magazine, July 10, 1998). Though they confirmed recovering burnt bones from the site, there was no solid evidence to suggest the controlled use of fire, such as hearths,...
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...order in our world. It gives us a past, present and future. Time also offers us a sense of perspective, so that we can make insights and connections, decide what is true and what is false, what is valuable and what is inconsequential. In this regard, the debate over the time and origin of the first tamed fire is an effective illustration of the ways in which time affects our perception of human kind and its relationship with the environment. Which theory of origin we ultimately choose to believe is particularly significant in that it gives insight into the way in which we view ourselves in relation to our past.
Sources Cited:
"Did Homo Erectus Tame Fire First?" Balter, Michael. Science. June 16, 1995.
"Fired Up." McCrone, John. New Scientist, May 20, 2000.
"Geological Analysis Damps Ancient Chinese Fires." Wuethrich, Bernice. Science Magazine, July 10, 1998.
Following this central theme of humans and fire, Wrangham shares with the reader the plethora of theories that have been developed in the hopes of explaining the modern human brain. He settles on what he declares most plausible, the social brain hypothesis, which compares brain size with the size of mammalian guts. Following this hypothesis, it is proposed that more effective food preparation, with fire, would have allowed for more advanced digestion, and thus more advanced
Due to the discrepancy between the winner of the popular vote and the winner of the electoral college in the most recent election, there has been a lot of talk about eliminating the electoral college and moving to a direct popular vote. While many people argue for this shift, usually with little knowledge of what a popular vote election would look like, there are also many citizens who are opposed to the idea. In our polarized political climate, this fact is not surprising. Those who support the electoral college defend it by claiming that it is not only constitutional, but it also represents the whole county, and makes for a more certain, legitimate election process.
In this paper four subjects on the Electoral College will be addressed. These four subjects are: What is the Electoral College? Why did the founding fathers create the Electoral College? What are some major criticisms of the Electoral College? Should we keep it? Before these questions are addressed it should be noted that many people were not aware of the existence of the Electoral College, perhaps even the Author of this paper.
The United States is a privileged country with freedoms and opportunities many countries strive to achieve. People come into the United States in hopes to obtain these rights and make a better life for themselves; they strive to achieve “The American Dream.” Citizens are given the chance to vote, speak their mind, and live according to their desires without prejudice. However, the same government that promises hope has flaws that frustrate the American people; the Electoral College is one topic of debate. Many feel this system is a safe way to regulate who leads the country, while others feel that issues should be left to popular vote.
Every four years, the century-old debate over the Electoral College rekindles. Currently, as the contest between the Republican candidates intensifies and the remaining four rush toward the finish line for nomination, speculators are turning their attention toward the Presidential Election that is right around the corner. Predictably, the legitimacy of the Electoral College is once again under scrutiny. Although the Electoral College was an ingenious compromise establish by Framers of the Constitution, the development of the two party politics and the “winner-take-all” system has led it to the fail its original purpose.
This paper has shown how Homo sapiens had several advantages over the Neanderthals including better diets, better tools and just better luck. The Neanderthals could not survive the harsh climates they were thrust into and eventually died out. In this paper I looked at how Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis had co-existed but the disappearance of the Neanderthal ius due in some part to the appearance of the more culturally advanced and genetically superior Homo sapiens. Although the How and Why of how Neanderthals went extinct, it is clear that Homo sapiens had a part in their demise. In the last one hundred and fifty years that we have been studying humans we have seen them come from savage brutes, to Homo sapiens respectable contemporary. If we had not gotten lucky in the past, Neanderthals could be studying us today.
As the United States of America gets older, so does the presidential election voting system. The argument to change this method of voting has been becoming more and more popular as the years go on. It has been said that the Framers of the Constitution came up with this method because of the bad transportation, communication, and they feared the public’s intelligence was not suitable for choosing the President of the United States. Others say that the Framers made this method because they feared that the public did not receive sufficient information about candidates outside of their state to make such a decision based on direct popular vote. My research on this controversial issue of politics will look into the factors into why the Electoral College exists and if it is possibly outdated for today’s society. It will look into the pros and cons of this voting system, and it will explore the alternative methods of voting such as the Direct Popular vote. Many scholarly authors have gathered research to prove that this voting system is outdated and it does not accurately represent the national popular will. Many U.S. citizens value their vote because they only get one to cast towards the candidate of their choice in the presidential election. Based on the Electoral College system their vote may possibly not be represented. Because of today’s society in the U.S. the Electoral College should be abolished because it is not necessary to use a middle-man to choose our president for us. It is a vote by the people, all of us having one voice, one vote.
Food has been used as a tool by many cultures as movements to help with their culture become recognized, to identify their way of being, and to show their class and status. By exploring different author’s articles, and movie clips this will be visible. Food has created many cultures to explore these outlets and in return has had a positive impact on their culture.
"The Vatican & the Holocaust: Pope Pius XII & the Holocaust." Pope Pius XII & the
The phrase, “We are what we eat” holds some essential validity and truth to it. Food is a constituent feature of our environmental ties to where we subside. It is a part of our daily lives. It can act as a form of communication with other individuals. Food can be an indicator of the nutrition idiosyncratic cultural groups are practicing. Notably, which ingredients hold higher placement of emphasis in consumption from a day to day basis. The way food is assembled or arranged has specific meanings in certain locations. From humble beginnings to global acknowledgment, the diffusion of Hispanic cuisine and some of it’s signature dishes will be analyzed under domestic and foreign context.
"Abolition of Slavery and the Slave Trade." Abolish Foreignness. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
Beginning in America in 1787, the Electoral College was originally created during the Constitutional Convention to help make a fair way for the president to be elected without giving too much power to either the national government or individual states. Over the years, the Electoral College has undergone a few changes in attempt to make it more fair, but there is still much debate about whether or not the Electoral College is the most effective way to elect a president. Some people believe that the Electoral College does an excellent job of creating an equal distribution of votes across all ethnicities and social classes of America. In contrast, others think that the Electoral College does not give an accurate portrayal of the popular opinion of Americans, believing that the Electoral College is no longer necessary for the election process in our society. The issue of whether or not the Electoral College should be a part of our government is important to our society, because it has had a dramatic effect on who is elected as president. Several times in American history a potential presidential candidate has obtained the presidential office only because of the Electoral College, despite the fact that they lost the popular vote. Therefore, the Electoral College should be removed from the government and replaced with an election system based on the popular vote.
years ” (Quimby 2), since this epoch involved the fundamental evolution of mankind to the present. It is important to
Cuisine is a big factor in the identity of a culture and many people will list food as a factor that makes a country what it is, even using Damper for an example, many people see it is an Australian classic and part of Australia's history. Analysing these two iconic recipes, we can begin to view what kinds of communication is used and by looking at this, the history and the shaping of culture we gain a deeper understanding of the impact and importance of food in both Australia, Japan and around the world. Through this analysis it is hoped that a better understanding of these topics is acquired and an in depth reflection is produced.
This era of early tool development took place during the Lower Paleolithic, and was known as Oldowan tool tradition. Anthropologists suspect that a feedback loop between brain size, behavior, and language began to develop during the time of Homo habilis, due to a proposed correlation between the gradual increase in brain complexity and size as well as the development of more complex cultural aspects of their society, such as the various tools developed during the era of the species habilis. The arrival of Homo erectus, about 2 million years ago, marked another noteworthy progression of biological and cultural adaption, as well as further evidence supporting the feedback loop