2012年6月24日星期日

Chimpanzees: having a crack at culture

 
As the differences of culture, human of the same race might have different life styles, manner and beliefs. Even though the people belong to a same city, there would be some little different manner between two families. So that we could infer that culture does not be decided as genetic cause. But how can we find the reason that human has so many kinds of culture? The author of this article reported a new research that chimpanzees might have different culture of having crack.

     This article reports a phenomenon of chimpanzees which is found in the Taï National Park in Cote d'Ivoire over three consecutive nut-cracking seasons by the researchers. At this period of time, a same kind of chimpanzees of this national park are partial to the Coula nut, which they open with their own tools made from stone or wood. According to the research, each neighbor-hood appears to have its own kind of tool style. Each of the group of them use wood or stone and the size and style are in difference. And it is thought of cultural preferences by scientists that might shed light onto the origin of human’s culture.

     It seems interesting that animals have culture as human. But I think the world of animals is not different from that of human. Human as the type of modern times does not accomplish in an action though the origin of human is still a mystery. In my point of view, culture and intelligence are supplements each other. Animals use intelligence to produce a way to solve when they met difficulties. Each groups of this kind of animal may have different way, just like the TV shows of team cooperation. It is easy to make the differences of solve problems, which accumulating over a long period becomes a kind of culture of the offspring of one group.

     And I believe that the culture of the chimpanzees of this story is a section of evolution. I think the skill of crack the nut does not popular before the chimpanzees began to eat this kind of nut. There must have been one chimpanzee which ate the kind of nut accidentally and from that time, they began to invent tools in order to eat the tasty nut. The first tool might be invented by one group of chimpanzees, and others also wanted to eat it so that they invented some other tools which were more suitable to themselves. Throughout the constant inheritance and improvement, different cultures emerge their own styles that we could see in the modern times.

    That is all my thoughts about the origin of cultures. I also think the chimpanzees of the Taï National Park could bring some inspirations for scientists to find the mysteries of both culture and human’s origin in the future.





connect:http://www.themunichtimes.com/news/Chimpanzees:-having-a-crack-at-culture--1416

Jane Marple "Chimpanzees: having a crack at culture " The munich times (Online). 07 Jun 2012. 24 Jun 2012.

1 条评论:

  1. First I shall comment on English usage. There is an idiomatic expression in the title of this news story: [to] have a crack at. This simply and basically means "to try". So, let's say that I have a unicycle, and I want you to try to ride it. I might say to you, "Go on, don't be afraid, have a crack at."

    You write, "In my point of view, culture and intelligence [are] supplements each other." Yes, I fully agree with you. And what examples of a highly developed culture are there than it's arts? Here I am referring to film, literature, music, the culinary arts, as well as mixed media. Of course the development and evolution of the sciences are dependent on sustained intelligent and rational thinking. But the arts take this sophisticated thinking together with a deep concern for both the human condition, and with an eye on what is beautiful and pleasurable, resulting in what we call culture.

    My undergraduate degree is in linguistics, which is the science of language. My masters degree is TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). And my Ph.D. is in Comparative Literature, which is basically the study of world literatures. Something came to understand fairly early on in my studies is that language and culture occupy different sides of the same coin. They are two peas in a pod. You can't find one without the other. This is to say, wherever you find a fully developed language, you will find an equally fully developed culture.

    And so, I find a large percentage of the approaches to foreign language instruction around the world completely lacking. The reason is that they teach language -- grammar, vocabulary, etc. -- without teaching the culture.

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