Evolving Systems course, week 5: from biological to cultural change

Just a simple reply to christinequeho, I think for Chinese people, it is not really a reson to ask "Did you eat？" that food is rare. Back in ancient China, besides the differences between the poor and rich, the food supply is much more sufficient than today. The nearest dramatic increase of Chinese population occured after liberation, or say during the 1950s to 1970s period. What I believe--may not be correct--is that having meals are the most common things in anyone's daily life. So whatever you say "Yes, I did" or "No, I haven't" doen't really make difference. It is also a don't-need-answer question in a polite way.

Talking about "why not China", I kind of understand and agree with Lemoncoala. Different culture has different value, even of the concept of "win" and "developed". But talking about the factors or reasons, it's about objectivity. China and Europe just chose the different way to go. Even twin brothers can't be the same in the most likely environment.

From inside, the culture is determined by the genes. Different people ahve different likely character in the first place. Then, in different geographic condition, they developed in different ways. And the history and environment they create exert impacts on themselves too. I believe that the development of culture is never just simple as a linear solution expressed in Guns, Germs and Steel.

Even luck plays a role. In the exact spot on timeline, an individual unknown to the world, or an individual powerful in region, can make a random choice. The choice has been made and no one could change it as time goes by. The randomness become definite. And here we are.

So this will be a rather short post. I don't have much to say on the topic of Guns, Germs, and Steel. I found the idea of geography driving cultural differences and evolution interesting, and I think the point has some validity. I don't know that I'd say geography is the only thing, but hey. I'm not one who's studied this extensively. I'd say the short nature of this post is due mainly to the fact that I am filled not with reflections about our rather shortened class last week, but anticipation of our discussions to come. Where will we go with cultural evolution? What different things will we learn about each other and our histories? Cultural diversity is one thing I looked forward to about Bryn Mawr as a whole, so I'm excited to begin our conversation.

<3

3.       I want to talk about the writings. I have had the confusions about the essay in the last few weeks. After the writing conference and our Thursday class, I think I start to understand what I am supposed to do. First, there is really not a standard answer or the answer of right or wrong of our writings. Each essay has its value in some perspective. The essays really revealed your thoughts about the typical topic which might come from any aspect of your lives. You can decide the ways you want your reader approach your ideas. However, there are distinction between thoughts and formal essay. I know we are talking the most sophisticated questions that a person can ever ponder about. Making sense of ourselves are important in the processes we understand more about ourselves not the ultimate explanations why we are existing in this magic universe. I find it hard to write essays about the prompt because they are not typical essay topic I used to see. On the other hand, the topics of the discussions are random I some ways. Actually, I would describe them as board and spontaneous because we are trying to figure something that is really about everything out. Right now, I am always trying to find a main line to connect the thoughts. I do think an essay with a main idea, or thesis will be worthy reading. I think it’s OK to be incomplete and I can always leave an open ending to fit my doubts and leave the space for reader’s imagination. There are always more perspectives to be explored about a story. I think my essay should at least get to some kind of destinations in my long ways of wondering the meaning of lives. I think I have learned a lot in the wondering around process. I should help my reader my thought my putting the essay more organized and inform them of the mina point I want to state the most rather than let them flow freely with the random thoughts come to my mind.

4.       I was really thinking seriously about the last point we were trying to get at the end Thursday’s class. I just fell silent about this ambivalent topic. I pretty much accept his argument and explanations about the dominations of European. I think his explanations are reasonable with all the analysis about the facts he showed in his books. I always believe that things happen for reasons. For the mysterious cases, people are just unable to solve the problem or find the hidden reasons yet. The truth will turned out someday and it also depends on whether you can understand that symptoms are the truths or reasons. The most importantly, it takes time for everything happened. The Europeans took over the world because accumulations of the minor geographic advantages. Then it came to the question about the China. Why not China? However, in fact, China has been the most powerful country, like USA today, for all the time before the Industrial Revolution. The different culture value between Chinese and the Westerners can explain the various behaviors. The different decisions were made during the similar situations. The accumulations of the derivatives had lead two different pathways of development of these two. Europeans are more favorable in that environment. I really don’t know what I was talking about. I am just going to stop reasoning though because too much personal feelings are evolved and I can’t see the situations objectively.

 I thought a lot after class (after cake) about everyone's culture stories, and about how mine was so uninteresting. I picked the Polish side of my family, but I'm not really polish by blood, but those kolachkies at Christmas are damn good. I'm Italian a bit, and all I do that reflects that is talk with a thick Chicaaaahgo accent at times and use big hand gestures. I'm a bit Swedish, and the only remnants of that are the swedish meatballs that are my favorite food and some hand painted wooden figures we put out at christmas that belonged to my great-grandmother. I'm a tiny bit of a ton of things that we really have no cultural connection to in my family. So I suppose I'm just plain ol' Amerrrcan. 

Which makes me wonder what American culture really is. I mean, is it just our loudness, baseball, and tendency to not really care how people feel when we ask them? Because I am loud, I love baseball, and I expect people to respond "good" when I ask then how they are unless I know them well. I would really like to talk more about what American culture is with a foreign person, because I feel like I take it for granted so much that I have no idea what it is any more.

I understand that a big part of American culture is the "Melting pot" aspect, so that many families have a tie to their original country's culture while still being American. So is it just that America's culture isn't strong enough to outshine the cultures of other countries? Is that why I'm not seeing it as distinctly? Are we all just apple pie? and Chevy? A car company? That can't be it.

Last week we went around the room shedding light on each person’s experiences with cultural change. And personally, I was shocked at how much cultural diversity could really exist within one small classroom. Everyone had a significantly different story to tell. I was oddly intrigued by the different cultural expectations regarding physical contact. Some people’s families expect each member to kiss on both cheeks, some expect hugs to show their affection, and others refrain from physical contact all together. It’s incredible how something so seemingly insignificant could help shape one’s view of their own world, and how strange any other custom would seem to them.

I remember when I went to Romania for the first time to meet my extended family. I’ve lived in Washington D.C. my whole life, and upon arrival to Romania, I had quite the culture shock. All of my relatives were so hospitable, to an extent I have never previously or since experienced. They welcomed us warmly into their homes, made lavish dinners when food there is so scarce, and literally insisted that we eat three times as much as physically possible. They opened bottle after bottle of wine and chatted with us like we were old friends, when in reality this was the first time most of my American family had ever met them. Their eagerness to show us how wonderful Romanian culture is, despite their hard economic and political times, was truly impactful for me. It’s instances like this that make me realize quite how important it is to be exposed to—and learn about—other cultures.

I can't really remember what we talked about in class. I know it was about Jared Diamond, and how we should analyze what he's saying, and that he was kind of pompous and then I just kept thinking "cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake" for the last, oh, thirty minutes of class. So I spent half the class thinking about cake. Not quite the most productive day, but y'know. Cake.

I think cultural change has patterns and explanations very similar to the explanations humans have for cosmological, geological, and biological change, partially because (and goodness how I've beaten this horse to death) humans are the ones explaining the phenomena and I feel they're inclined to take what they know and apply it to other things. It could be the reverse of that too, if that makes any sense.

On Saturday I went to New York City to visit my brother, and as we inevitably end up doing whenever I’m in New York City, we went to the Museum of Natural History. For whatever reason we spent a large portion of time in the “Peoples of the World” exhibits (ex. Peoples of Asia, Peoples of North America, Peoples of South America, Peoples of Africa), and these exhibits are both very good and very bad. They’re very good in that they present a lot of information on the development of human beings and culture and the diversity possible within one species, and while they try to be as engaging as possible they do not water the information down as much as in some other museums.

They’re very bad in that they’re old. These exhibits appear as though they haven’t been updated since the ‘60s. They describe certain peoples and patterns of migration as living in/moving through Soviet territory. They use an out of date Romanization system of Chinese. The typeface of the exhibits scream ‘pre-1990’. And, while not belittling any of the cultures displayed, there’s a subversive feeling of attempting to be politically correct and just winding up with an undertone of the noble savage in need of saving. It’s distressing because there’s so much information at the museum’s disposal, so much they could be doing, and what is probably the most sensitive area of the museum is ignored. It’s not just these exhibits that are older: the animals of the world exhibits are old too, for example, but those are all taxidermy and really, really shouldn’t be updated unless it’s just text. The museum is in constant limbo of moving from the old to the new, and I know it’s a very difficult process, but at the same time I am a child of the Internet. I want everything to be at my fingertips in a heartbeat. I want the newest, hippest thing, and I want it now.

I suppose what I’m trying to say with that is now that we have reached a period in human existence where everything is instantaneous and changes so quickly, how do we update our history and culture to function in a new age and keep it relevant? How can the past stay up to date? Should we abandon it, or keep trying to drag it with us?

 The last question on the prompt motivated me to think about how or if there are similarities in cosmological, biological and cultural changes.  One thing that I think of when think of the similarities between these changes that occur in life is that they all spread out.  Culturally, animals have spread out throughout the world.  The universe is constantly expanding, and biologically people have traveled, married other people and spread their genes throughout the world. 

First, I'll start by saying I was reading some of the posts before me and was very interested by the Julie's point about the idea of being able to say "Chinese people think..."- what a good point, Julie, about the fact that this is said considering the size of the population though I, like you, doubt similar statements could be said about Americans. I'm unsure if this is true because of the "melting pot" that the USA is or for another reason. Hmmm.

As far as answering the presented question concerning the link between cultural and biological evolution, I do believe that the two are closely linked. However, I think of it from a biological standpoint- allow me to explain. For example, a certain waist-to-hip ratio is a desired trait in a female partner. Women with a ratio close to the perfect ratio (.7, I believe) are more likely to find a partner and thus will make children with better ratios as well, assuming there is a genetic factor that plays in to the WHR. However, the question arises… is this male preference for a certain WHR biologically programmed or does it tie into a cultural/ society-based idea? I would like to lean towards the former but I’m not entirely sure.

Next, I’d like to review my thoughts on this week’s class discussion. As much as I enjoyed the review of biological evolution that we had last week, I find we will be having equally (if not more- gasp!) stimulating conversations based on cultural evolution. I am very excited to hear more stories about my classmates’ (and professor’s) experiences with their culture and traditions of their heritage. When I think about some of the weird stuff we do in “my part of the world” (Western Europe), such as clinking the top of a beer glass for light beer and bottom of the beer glass for dark beer in Germany or eating a cake with a porcelain figurine baked into it in January in France or not being able to pay for anything (not a bottle of water!) if you’re a female and out with a male in Italy, it makes me curious to hear about the things done in other parts of the world- those that, unlike Europe, are less like America. Can’t wait for this week!

It's so excited that our discussion has moved from scientific evolotion to culture diversity!

If we regard each culture as a beautiful meteor flying across the sky, culture diversity will be the splendid collision of meteors that shines in the darkness. I’ve always believed that even people are driven by perfection in reality; there isn’t anything in the world that is completely flawless. Everything has its strongpoints and shortcomings. So does every culture. The most brilliant person is not the one who forever focuses on his/her own, but the one who adopts other’s strong points while overcoming his/her weak points. Similarly, it is the convergence of different culture that makes continuous process in our world.

I can always remember the first time I felt the power of culture diversity. Students from Yale, kids from an affected area and students from my high school were given a task to put an egg in to a bottle, which neck was smaller than the egg, without smashing the egg or breaking the bottle. Amanda, a student from Yale Yale raised an idea to put a burning candle in the bottle to consume oxygen and create pressure difference. I brought to my mind a boiled egg based on my mum’s breakfast. The local kids were enlightened on the home-made preserved egg( an egg that was processed by ingredients such as black tea, salt, wood ash and stored in the pot for more than twenty days)by his living environment. It was our culture diversity that finally contributed to solve the problem.

Now, coming to America as a part of culture diversity, I'm especially looking forward to sharing my experience with others and enligntening by others' perspectives. Looking forward to talking to you on Tue.!:)

 I find it so interesting how the geography of a culture's land can affect almost every aspect of that culture's way of life.  The animals and the conditions of the land can lead to so many differences. With all these environmental differences it is easy to see how many culture's stories can be so different.  But, at the same time it makes me feel like we are even more similar.  Because the only reason for our differences IS because of our environment. And as individuals and cultures, our souls are the same.  We all try to make sense of the environments we were placed in, evolve, and develop traditions along the way that work well in our environments. 

During the discussion on Thursday, I was intrigued by the connections between seemingly irrelative things—the geography, the domestic animals and the empire. Perhaps, nothing exists independently in the world. (This point of view reminds me of the “Trees” on planet Pandora in film Avatar). How could I still believe that individuals are individual? Some more sophisticated associations beyond heat exchange exist, especially some connections that are built during the development of human civilization.

Another point that interested me was the reasons for and the consequence of existence. I had never imagined that the result brought by one kind of crops or domestic mammals can influence the development of a whole empire. I was overwhelmed by the relation between cause and effect. I felt my understanding about the “cause and effect in the world” superficial. Just like that I can only see the peak of an iceberg above the sea level, while I cannot easily detect how huge the part of iceberg immersed in the ocean truly is.  

I found I formed a habit of writing and drawing randomly in my draft paper. I wanted to record the instant inspiration from the discussion among classmates, Professor Dalke and me. “Write it down when it is still fresh.” Our topics involve from origin of universe, biological evolution and human civilization. I really enjoy the path to self-identification. We are journeying.

I have read some of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel in the past, so the idea that physical and cultural evolution might be linked is not new to me. I remember feeling mind-boggled though, at the thought of agriculture arising in the fertile crescent and spreading laterally, enabling the rapid growth of civilizations in Eurasia. I also remember thinking how unfair this seemed to me. I want to hold to the belief that the harder one fights for something, the greater the reward. It makes sense, but seems so unfair that people born in areas with arable land, domesticable animals, and farmable crops benefit far more from their labors than those who come from areas with arid land, animals that cannot be tamed, and low-yielding crops. But perhaps this is further example of the "randomness" that we had talked of in class with physical evolution; fairness and justice had nothing to do with it. Yet, when humans are involved, it seems as if they should. Isn't that why there are charities that send out seeds, and develop irrigation for less fertile areas?

I wonder if this difference in agriculture also bleeds into other areas of culture. For example, the creation myths that we were exposed to in the beginning. These myths from outside the Fertile Crescent area involved the production/obtaining of food as central parts for explaining creation:

• Aijingwen's myth from the Phillipines had human's planted as seeds.
• Christine's myth, "Ainu" involved oceans and hunting; when I searched for "Ainu" on Wikipedia, I found that they had indeed been an island-dwelling, hunting-gathering people.
• In Karina's Mayan myth, men were created out of corn -- the staple crop that Diamond wrote of for that region.

Contrarily, stories such as Hillary's Greek myth, or Valentina's analysis on science vs. Judaic creation story (both from the Fertile Crescent area) have little or, arguably, no emphasis on food, or crops, but rather on human/god motivations, or empirical explanations.

These are just five samples from our myths, so obviously this doesn't bear as any sort of technical analysis, but it does seem like an interesting correlation.

 

I have to say that one of the most interesting discussions this week was our discussion on the soul, human beings, and the essence of existing. We also talked about cause and effect. Does everything have a cause and effect? In my experience things cannot happen without a cause. However, just because we haven't seen an example of effect without cause doesn't mean that it's not true. Anyways, back to the soul and essence of human beings. I've always believed in souls. Not because of religion, but because the idea of it gives me hope that there's more meaning and purpose to life. I liked hearing everyone's interpretations and thoughts on what a soul is to them or what they believe a soul is. The discussion got me to think a lot, which I really enjoyed because it gave me new ideas in to what a soul could possibly be. We also talked about animals and if they have a soul too. When I was little my dad always told me that a soul is something that gives humans a conscience and helps us differentiate from right and wrong. However, someone in our class brought up an interesting point about how an animal's idea of right and wrong could be completely different from a human's idea of right and wrong. Just because humans do something one way doesn't mean that it's the way everything should be. Like we've been discussing in this class, humans are not the center of everything. Our idea of right and wrong is not the finalized idea of right and wrong. If that makes any sense. Also, if humans are the only beings on this planet with a soul, then how did we come to get a soul if we were all just animals a long time ago? Does a soul evolve in us like our intellect or biological make up?