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CULTURAL CHANGE

According to Pearson, culture encompasses beliefs, attitudes, values behavioral patterns that are held by a certain group of people and transmitted from one generation to another (24). In addition, Diamond states that it is the totality of human behavior and way of life that is shared in a society (N.pag). Civilization is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as the process of refining or enlightening. Diamond also highlights that it is a process of modernization where societies are separated from nature and propelled to apply modern technologies and ways of living.

According to Stutz, cultures do not remain static; changes in the environment also propel people to change their ways of life, beliefs and values hence, culture changes (32). One of the reasons why culture has changed over time is due to discoveries and inventions that have led to the development of new ideas and attitudes (Stutz, 40). Another reason is that as the population increases, people intermingle and tend to adapt to other people’s way of living, which leads to diffusion of culture. However, cultures remain complex making it difficult for one to adapt easily to another person’s culture. As the population grows it brings about people with varied behaviors and personality that are difficult to understand. Complexity also arises due to differences in how societies are structured and led; each society with different systems of governance.

The hunting and gathering cultures of the upper Paleolithic have changed over time due to invention and technology. The technology has led to food production that has done away with the need to hunt and gather in order to survive. Furthermore, with population increase, hunting and gathering alone cannot provide enough food to cater for the increased number of people.

Works Cited

Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs and Steel. New York, NY: Norton & Company, Inc. 1999. Web

Oxford Dictionary. Civilization. Farlex: Princeton University. 2012. Web

Pearson. Culture and Change (PDF). New Jersey: Pearson Press. 2013. Web

Stutz, Aaron. “Culture and Politics, behavior and Biology: Seeking Synthesis among Fragmentary Anthropological Perspectives on Hunters and Gatherers.” Reviews in Anthropology. 41.1(2012): 23-69