Provide an account for how scientific theories emerge in anthropological research. Darwin s theory of natural selection provides two step mechanistic process for how descent with modification takes place. Describe this process. Describe the focus of sociobiologists and critiques that have been directed at research conducted in this field of study. Describe the features and time frames characterizing the four stages of hominid evolution.
Anthropology is the study of human nature, human society, and the human past.
Anthropological inquiry is holistic, comparative, cross-disciplinary and evolutionary at its core. It addresses all human societies and all periods of the human past. Anthropologists claim that their attempts to explain human nature, society, and its past are scientific . While their representations of human life may rightfully be considered stories , scientists distinguish themselves from popular storytellers by measuring the fit of their observations against nature. Their scientific theories emerge from systematic efforts to sift through data, test hypotheses, and synthesize hybrid pieces of information including both material and inferential evidence.