Social factors of anthropogenesis: group collaboration, social lifestyle ... The driving factors of anthropogenesis

According to Darwin, the man came from a monkey. If we revise religious treatises, then everything in the world, including man, was created by God. And if you look at recent scientific studies, it may turn out that the human species evolved from one of the representatives of the sea depths. Probably, how much humanity will exist, there will be disputes about the true origin of Homo sapiens. But the social factors of anthropogenesis have long been known to science, so it is worthwhile to consider them.

What is anthropogenesis?

The first thing to begin with is definitions of concepts. There is no reliable data on the origin of the first person, but science allows us to track the process of its development and formation. Anthropogenesis is the formation of man in the process of evolution. It includes physical development, the birth of speech, the creation of tools and a joint way of living. As a result of this process, a person could separate from other mammals and begin to develop as a separate, intelligent species.

The most scientifically substantiated doctrine of anthropogenesis is Darwin's theory of evolution. The evolution of other living organisms is distinct from human anthropogenesis. The first is guided solely by the laws of nature. Man, contrary to these laws, was able to realize his capabilities and apply them in practice, changing the environment to his needs.

Key Factors

Anthropogenesis is the process of becoming a person. But, as you know, man is a social being, therefore, his development was influenced not only by physiological aspects. So, in the process of evolution, natural selection took place, which allowed surviving only to the strongest individuals. Accordingly, this was the reason for the transfer of strong genes, which improved with each generation. This is one of the main biological factors that played a major role in the initial stage of anthropogenesis. This process gave the person the opportunity to develop physically, to become more enduring and adapted.

In turn, Friedrich Engels pointed out that the social factors of anthropogenesis had a considerable influence on the formation of the human species. They include:

• Thinking.
• Speech.
• Labor activity.
• Aspiration to live in groups.

The biological and social factors of anthropogenesis were made "out of the human monkey." At a time when the climate was changing, forest areas were decreasing, Homo sapiens was forced to adapt: to get on their feet (upright), to create tools to extract food, to join groups in order to protect themselves from predators.

Stages of anthropogenesis

The formation of man took not one million years. From the moment when the first anthropoid ape was on its feet, until the moment when they began to unite in groups, it took several thousand years. In general, the sequence of anthropogenesis can be divided into 3 main stages:

1. Anthropoid progenitors. They include primates that could move freely on the two lower limbs and use simple objects such as stones, sticks, bones.
2. Paleoanthropes. Or ancient people. They already lived in small groups (communities), had an idea of what hunting meant, learned how to make tools from simple tools, lived in caves and knew how to obtain fire. Outwardly something resembled a man.
3. Neanthropines. The physical structure of the body fully corresponded to the modern man. They had the skills of primitive communication. In addition to hunting, they collected vegetables and fruits. They were able to build dwellings, painted the walls with drawings, sewed clothes from the skins of killed animals.

Social factors of anthropogenesis

Anthropogenesis is not a linear and smooth process, at each of its stages several currents are formed, which develop separately from each other. Moreover, each of these trends becomes the primary cause of the emergence of new ways of development. So, when there was a joint work, there was a need for communication in order to coordinate their actions. Then the man came up with a language. In turn, the language received a separate development, and in the course of history people were able to move from oral to written speech. And the written speech has already begun to be filled with epithets, metaphors, rules and other speech phrases.

All this became possible due to the social factors of evolution. In total, there are four social factors that have had the greatest impact at the initial stage of anthropogenesis. These include:

• Accommodation in a group.
• Improvement of objects of labor.
• General labor activity.
• Perfection of labor processes.

Now consider each of them in more detail.

Group accommodation

After the man was on two legs, he realized that it is much safer to unite with his own kind. Group cooperation allowed the first people to hunt for large prey and move safely in open areas. Living in the group gave the person time to modernize the tools. He did not have to constantly stand on guard, so all the free time was allocated to the creation of new guns and the development of a new hunting strategy. In the group, each performed its role: men procured food, and women cared for the elderly and children. As a result of this distribution of liabilities, mortality has decreased.

Improvement of objects of labor

Perfection of the instruments of labor would be impossible without the transfer of knowledge and skills from the older generation to the younger. That is why the old people were respected. They could tell how to properly hunt, which plants can be eaten, how to create tools, etc. As history shows, only those groups that had experienced senior mentors survived could transmit their knowledge to the younger generation.

Groups that had more advanced weapons could occupy the best areas, displacing other inhabitants to places less suitable for life. As a result, the most dexterous and savvy survived, who not only took on someone else's experience, but also supplemented it with new, independently acquired knowledge.

General labor activity

Thanks to collective hunting, common coexistence and the transfer of experience by older tribesmen, humanity has a chance to survive. But all this required special signals for the exchange of information. The development of joint activities in groups led to the emergence of speech.

Initially, people communicated with gestures, individual sounds and facial expressions. Gradually, the undeveloped larynx evolved into a speech apparatus, and man was able to master a new way of transmitting information.

Unlike higher mammals, that they react to environmental changes with the help of sight, hearing and scent, a person was able to use the second alarm system. Homo sapiens is able, with the help of words, to arrange events in a brief message. This is one of the main differences between man and animal, a peculiar trait, having crossed that, man became the head of nature.

Perfection of life

The presence of speech and joint work strengthened the connection between people in groups. They began to act better together. But around there were other groups, which at any time could push opponents on the territory that are unfit for living. In addition, the climatic conditions were unpredictable, but it was necessary to survive.

In this regard, the occupation of ancient people began to improve. The first thing they started with is tools. Later, labor processes became more complicated. In addition to hunting, people began to collect fruits and vegetables, sometimes even took honey from wild bees. But the main role in the anthropogenesis process was definitely played by the use of fire. The food prepared on it was much tastier. In addition, such food did not load the chewing apparatus, and after millennia the powerful chewing monkey muscles and the bone connecting them lost their importance.

Concluding remarks

After the appearance of articulate speech, a significant development of the cerebral cortex was noted in man. In turn, this contributed to thinking, which made the survival process not so insurmountable.

Social factors of anthropogenesis played a role in the process of human formation. But they would not have been possible without the initial physical changes. And in turn, further physiological changes occurred due to the driving social factors of evolution.

The process of becoming a person took more than one million years. The modern man is the result of a long chain of changes that extends through the boundaries of history: from the moment when the first anthropoid ape got to his feet, until the emergence of new technologies.