Challenges Posed By An “extended Synthesis” Of Evolutionary Biology For Interpreting And Presenting Human Origins

 

Challenges Posed By An “extended Synthesis” Of Evolutionary Biology For Interpreting And Presenting Human Origins


 

THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL
VOL LXXI NO.92 DECEMBER 2013
 
 
Title : 
Challenges Posed By An “extended Synthesis” Of Evolutionary Biology For Interpreting And Presenting Human Origins
Author : 
Darren Curnoe
Abstract:
Evolutionary biology is currently in the midst of a revolution. The so-called “Extended Synthesis” is radically reconfiguring understanding of the mechanisms and history of the evolution of life, including humankind. The Extended Synthesis represents the third stage in the history of the development of evolutionary biology and is beginning to answer many previously intractable questions with massive volumes of data. It has major implications also for the way anthropologists and archaeologists interpret conventional forms of evidence about human origins on all time scales and the content and presentation of narratives about our past as outlined in popular culture, including museums, and the mass media. In this paper, I briefly outline the three major stages in the history of evolutionary biology, outlining their impact on ideas underpinning the study of human origins. As an illustration of the radical and far reaching nature of the Extended Synthesis, I will then discuss two widely held ideas in anthropology/archaeology often discussed in popular culture that have been challenged or require substantial revision due to recent research in evolutionary biology: 1) that evolution, including human evolution, is progressive, and 2) that culture has been the cardinal driver of human evolution. As a major source of information about evolution, biodiversity and human cultural and biological history, museums are beginning to face the challenge of accessibly presenting and explaining the Extended Synthesis to the public. Because humans continue to be a core subject of evolutionary biology, the deep-time history of our species offers the perfect example for this purpose. Moreover, with International Museum Day providing a focus on the socially consttuctive role museums play worldwide, the Extended Synthesis provides new opportunities to show how the human endeavour we call science works and progresses, its positive role in society,and the challenges it can present for widely held, but sometimes poorly founded notions about humanity and our past.
DOI:
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How to cite:
Darren Curnoe. (2013). Challenges Posed by an “Extended Synthesis” of Evolutionary Biology for Interpreting and Presenting Human Origins. The Sarawak Museum Journal, LXXI (92) : 169-202
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