Anthropology Essay Topics - Exploring the Differences Between Societies

Anthropology Essay Topics - Exploring the Differences Between SocietiesAnthropological essays require attention to some very complex issues, as well as a recognition of cultural variation in different societies. The assumption is that these essays, although ostensibly the same as those written for other social sciences, are different because of the cultural element. It is through the discussion of various cultural differences that our knowledge of evolution can be better understood.As we learn more about the human nature and the nature of society, we must also come to understand the differences between societies and the differences in the behavior of those societies. For this reason, the natural selection that occurs in many of our societies must be taken into account. Many of the differences we see in the evolutionary process occur in different ways between different cultures. The strengths and weaknesses of the culture, and the individuals within it, need to be recognized. Of cours e, no one study can show us what constitutes a civilization or an individual; the truth is, that all cultures are not the same.Evolutionary change is not at all limited to populations of single-celled organisms. However, the differences between people will be a source of much controversy in any discussion of evolution and the understanding of why there are differences in the behaviors of societies. Differences in behavior among societies can help explain the variations in population size within any population as well as the intensity of natural selection.One of the most basic areas of anthropology essay topics is the role of environment in shaping behavior. Most of the natural variations that exist are within the degree of complexity of the environment, and not with respect to the population density or the amount of sunshine or even temperature. As it is, the variation within the environment alone accounts for only a small portion of the variation in human behavior.The most basic fo rm of environmental variation on evolutionary time scales is geographic variation. Humans have been around a lot longer than they have been on the earth, but the earth has changed a great deal. It is the patterns of variation in behavior that have changed over time that have been essential to understanding the evolutionary process. In fact, geographic variation of behavior is the basis for studying how behavior has evolved across different environments.Humans share the planet with a wide variety of animals and plants. They have exchanged genes, and as a result, they are a lot more similar to each other than they are to any other species. Although humans have been separated by time and geography, the more recent history of humans has left an impression on their genetic code. It is only when these behavioral patterns are examined that changes over time can be seen.Anthropology is a biological field that studies societies, because they reflect the very real changes in the world. When a society changes, the effects on its people's behavioral patterns will change. Even when the environment has remained constant, the differences that exist between the members of the society will continue to evolve.Evolutionary change is not confined to just humans. The entire world of life on earth is influenced by evolution, because the more similar any two organisms are, the greater the differences between them. As well, the more closely related a pair of organisms are, the greater the differences between them. Evolutionary change does not necessarily mean that one species is more evolved than another; the implication is that the animal or plant species are becoming adapted to the environment as a whole.