What can we learn about human nature from our relatives, the chimpanzees

Introduction Human beings represent the most evolved primates and their brains are the most developed among the mammals of the order Primate. Through millenniums of evolution, human beings have developed complex cultures and behavioral traits that characterize humans. However, primatologists have suggested that characteristics of human nature might not be limited to humans and primates such as the chimpanzee might share some of these features.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on What can we learn about human nature from our relatives, the chimpanzees? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Chimpanzees are unique among the primate group since they are man’s closest living relatives. Anthropologists believe that by studying these primates, we can gain insight into human behavior. Renowned primatologists such as Frans de Waal declare that the behavior of chimpanzees can provide important clues about human natu re. With this in mind, this paper will engage in an in-depth analysis of what we can learn about human nature from our relatives, the chimpanzees. Lessons from Chimpanzees Social Life Human social life can be informed by studying the chimpanzees. Specifically, chimpanzees demonstrate that primates thrive better in a communal setting than they do in isolation. Chimpanzees normally live in colonies, which are made up of males, females, and the young ones. While all the members of the colony engage in activities such as foraging and hunting, to sustain themselves, the group stays together as a community. The importance of social interactions in promoting peace is highlighted by studying chimpanzees. When groups of chimpanzees exist live together, they engage in activity such as mutual grooming, which reinforces the relationships between them. Because of this reinforced relationship, a social bond is created among the members of the group. The bond helps to promote peace and foster re conciliation when conflicts arise. In the same way, human beings are likely to coexist peacefully if they engage in activities that foster social bonds. People who engage in communal activities that strengthen social bonds are unlikely to act aggressively against each other. Self-interest is natural and it helps in the creation of behavior that is beneficial for all. In chimpanzee communities, many animals live together and act in a cooperative manner to ensure their survival. Due to self-interest, individuals avoid engaging in behavior that would lead to the collapse of the troop. The young ones in the groups are taken care of by their mothers and the rest of the group. Kupperman contends that the self-interest of human beings led to the formation of agreements that create constraints on various forms of harmful behavior (101). People therefore act in a cooperative manner out of self-interest.Advertising Looking for research paper on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! G et your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The ability of human beings to adapt themselves to their environment can be learnt from chimpanzees. The main distinguishing factor of human beings from other primates is their ability to adapt to their environment and use tools to increase efficiency. This ability is not confined to humans and chimpanzees demonstrate their adaptively in the wild. Chimpanzees have been observed to use stone tools to crack hard nuts and sticks to assist in the gathering of food. While this actions are very primitive compared to the ability that human beings possess, they demonstrate that it is in human nature to adapt to the environment. Social Order Studies on chimpanzees explain the sense of property observed in humans. Of all the primates, human beings have the most complex system of ownership and succession with laws being in place to protect ownership. People have an intuitive understanding of â€Å"mine† and â€Å"your† and a series of social norms and governance structures are in place to manage the relationship that exists because of property. However, this sense of property is not restricted to humans and other primates have at least elements of ownership (Brosnan 10). When chimpanzees encounter food that is held by another member, they show the behavior of begging or sharing of food instead of taking it by force, therefore suggesting that these primates understand the concept of ownership. The chimpanzees show respect for objects possessed by others and they do not try to take these objects even if the possessor is smaller and unable to defend his property through force. This suggests that â€Å"respect for possession† is not a product of human culture and civilization but rather a product of nature. Chimpanzees offer insight on the ways through which humans control each other’s behavior in the community. These primates demonstrate that ostracizing, as a way of encouraging conformity in order to increase social cohesion, is a natural concept. Ostracism, which is the practice of rejecting or excluding certain individuals, is deeply embedded in human society. However, this practice is discouraged in modern society since it can undermine the legal system in place and promote rejection of minority groups such as gays and lesbians. However, studies on chimpanzees show that ostracism is natural and bears positive outcomes. In chimpanzee communities, social order is maintained by the habit of shunning and isolating individuals who act in a defiant manner.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on What can we learn about human nature from our relatives, the chimpanzees? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ostracizing therefore plays an integral role in ensuring that the group cohesion is maintained and conforming behavior is encouraged among the members. Human beings also practice ostracism as a form of p unishment for non-conforming or deviant behavior of individuals in society. Studies on the behavior of chimpanzees show that using ostracizing is an effective method of maintaining social order. Ostracizing helps to encourage conformity to group norms and therefore foster good relationships among individuals. Culture Development of culture has been assumed to be a strictly human function. However, primatologists demonstrate that culture exists in chimpanzee colonies. Chimpanzees that come from different geographical locations exhibit varying cultures. As such, these primates display multiple cultural traits in the same way that human beings do. From this, we can learn that human culture is a product of nature. This should lead to an appreciation of the fact that different communities exhibit different languages, eating habits, traditions, dressing, and so on. We can gain an understanding about the human learning process by observing how chimpanzees learn from each other and pass d own behavior from the older to the younger generations. Older members of the colony show young ones how to behave and teach new skills on them. This active teaching increases the chances of survival for the chimpanzees as the knowledge necessary for survival is acquired and used by the young ones. Learning and cognition is therefore natural for primates including human beings. From studying chimpanzees, it is evident that human beings are naturally inclined to learn from others and pass down information and knowledge from one generation to the next. Insight into communicative patterns by human beings can be gained from observing chimpanzees. Specifically, clues about nonverbal communication can be seen from these primates. Communication is an integral part of human life and communication has played a major role in the advancement of human civilization. In addition to the verbal communication, humans make use of gestures many non-verbal cues. Frans de Waal suggests that nonverbal com munication is a natural form of communication since gestures are used by most primates (22).Advertising Looking for research paper on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More War and Aggression It has long been assumed that violence is an inherent part of human nature. This assumption has been reinforced by the many instances of war and aggression carried out by human beings for centuries. Research on chimpanzees indicates that violence might be an innate attribute of primates. Groups of chimpanzees engage in aggressive behavior and violence against outsiders and sometimes against members of their own colony. However, these primates tend to avoid aggression and instead coexist peacefully if they can. This behavior is similar to that of humans who are prone to acts of aggression against others. In addition to this, chimpanzees form coalitions in order to strengthen their attacks. Chimpanzees are likely to engage in coalitional aggression where a number of chimpanzees gang up to attack a common enemy. This strategy is preferred since it results in a high likelihood of winning while minimizing the costs of aggression to the individual. Human beings are al so in the habit of forming coalitions with each other in order to strengthen their attack. Another lesson on aggression from chimpanzees is that it is mostly confined to males. Frans de Waal observes that males were likely to gang up against out-group males and initiate attacks against them (80). Male aggressions are also more likely to escalate into deadly attacks. On the other hand, females are unlikely to engage in coalitional aggression and their conflicts rarely escalate to deadly levels. This is similar to human beings where men are more aggressive and play a bigger role in the proliferation of war compared to women. Sexuality Some issues of human sexuality can be learnt from observing chimpanzees. Human beings regard incest as a taboo and all societies refrain from this practice. However, there are doubts as to whether this taboo is a purely cultural product or a product of nature. The study of chimpanzees suggests that the incest taboo is a law of nature that has permeated all cultures. Primatologists document that chimpanzees avoid incest on their own accord and young females are strongly attracted to unfamiliar males whom they seek outside their own community (Frans de Waal 22). Some lessons on human behavior concerning sex can be learnt from chimpanzees. While chimpanzees are not monogamous, their sex life is not completely promiscuous. Frans de Waal states that the sexual intercourse among chimpanzees is subject to clearly defined rules (22). In some cases, males are keen to demonstrate their sexual dominance and protect their sexual partners. The dominant male will chase away the other males in the colony who try to mate with his females. This can be compared to the family unity where the male guards all sexual rights and privileges in the institute. Conclusion Chimpanzees are commonly used for comparison with humans to understand some issues on human nature. This paper has engaged in a discussion of the lessons on human nature that can be learn t from chimpanzees. It has demonstrated that there are great similarities between the social life of humans and chimpanzees. Both perform better in communal settings and individuals cooperate with each other for mutual interest. Concepts such as respect for property and social cohesion are common in both primates. The paper has shown that violence is a part of human nature and males are the greater aggressors. The common sexual conducts have also been highlighted. Through this exploration of chimpanzee nature, the natural basis of some human behavior can be recognized. Works Cited Brosnan, Sarah. â€Å"Property in nonhuman primates†. Origins of ownership of property. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development 132.1 (2011): 9–22. Web. Frans de Waal, Frans. Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex among Apes. NY: JHU Press, 2007. Print. Kupperman, Joel. Theories of Human Nature. Boston: Hackett Publishing, 2010. Print. This research paper on What can we learn about human nature from our relatives, the chimpanzees? was written and submitted by user BartRozum to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Mitosis Quiz on Mitotic Cell Division

Mitosis Quiz on Mitotic Cell Division Mitosis Quiz This mitosis quiz is designed to test your knowledge of mitotic cell division. Cell division is a process that enables organisms to grow and reproduce. Dividing cells go through an ordered series of events called the cell cycle. Mitosis is a phase of the cell cycle in which the genetic material from a parent cell is divided equally between two daughter cells. Before a dividing cell enters mitosis it goes through a growth period called interphase. In this phase, the cell duplicates its genetic material and increases its organelles and cytoplasm. Next, the cell enters the mitotic phase. Through a sequence of steps, chromosomes are equally distributed to two daughter cells. Mitosis Stages Mitosis consists of several stages: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Finally, the dividing cell goes through cytokinesis (dividing of the cytoplasm) and two daughter cells are formed. Somatic cells, cells of the body other than sex cells, are reproduced by mitosis. These cells are diploid and contain two sets of chromosomes. Sex cells reproduce by a similar process called meiosis. These cells are haploid and contain one set of chromosomes. Do you know the phase of the cell cycle in which a cell spends 90 percent of its time? Test your knowledge of mitosis. To take the Mitosis Quiz, simply click on the Start The Quiz link below and select the correct answer for each question. JavaScript must be enabled to view this quiz. START THE MITOSIS QUIZ JavaScript must be enabled to view this quiz. To learn more about mitosis before taking the quiz, visit the Mitosis page. Mitosis Study Guide OverviewStages of MitosisMitosis AnimationMitosis Image GalleryGlossary of TermsQuiz

Waste to Energy Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Waste to Energy Technology - Research Paper Example Undoubtedly, the waste to energy technology will address the waste disposal issues as well as the growing energy needs of the world. Waste to Energy Technology Waste to energy, or interchangeably energy from waste, can be referred to the process of generating energy in the form of heat or electricity through the incineration of waste materials. Incineration is â€Å"the process of reducing combustible waste to inert residues by high temperature combustion† (Lettsome, 2008, p.191). However, many countries have set strict emission standards for this process as many traditional WtE plants released huge amounts of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and dioxins. Modern incineration plants are eco-friendly and they release little toxic gases or other pollutants. As Ramboll (2006) points out, modern incinerators are capable of reducing the original waste volume by 95 to 96 percent depending on the type of waste material under incineration. The use of incineration technique for the con version of municipal solid waste to energy is a conventional application of waste to energy technology. In the incineration process, generally an RDF is burned to boil water and thereby power stream generators for the purpose of generating electricity for home and business use. However, the method of incineration of municipal solid waste for the generation of electrical energy was widely criticized since this process has been damaging the environment by causing acid rain. In response to this environmental concern, companies used technologies like lime scrubbers on smokestacks. The modern incineration plants are eco-friendly, because â€Å"many times more dioxin is now released from home fireplaces and backyard barbecues than from incineration† (Rosenthal, 2010). Today, a number of new and improved technologies have been developed to produce energy from waste materials without combusting them directly. Majority of such technologies can generate more amount of electric power fr om the same volume of waste materials than through direct combustion method. As described in Bio Earth (2009), in new waste to energy technologies, corrosive components are separated from the converted fuels and therefore, this process contributes to higher combustion temperatures in internal combustion engines and boilers. Hence, they are more productive than conventional WtE plants. Some of those technologies have the potential to convert energy into liquid or gaseous fuels. As reported in World News Inc (2012), gasification, thermal depolymerization, Pyrolysis, Plasma arc gasification PGP are some of the thermal WtE technologies whereas anaerobic digestion, fermentation, mechanical biological treatment are non-thermal technologies. The popularity of waste to energy technologies has considerably increased over the last decade. During this period, industrially important countries like China and Japan built a number of WtE plants in order promote their national productivity. Global Group Consulting Services LLC operates across America and Caribbean in order to promote the application of potential waste to energy technologies and to resolve Municipal Solid Waste issues in small to mid-size cities. As Herndon (2011) reports, Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc has been scheduled to commence the operations of its new $180 million WTE plant in 2010; and the project designers forecast that the plant may produce

Investment Enhancement Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Investment Enhancement - Research Paper Example This type of investment strategy might be attractive for a senior citizen investor who is looking to minimize or eliminate investment risks since he will be retiring within a few years and needs to lock in his retirement’s benefits. For the typical investor there is variety of benefits to utilizing international investments to improve financial portfolio performance On the other hand most investors are looking to maximize their return on investment therefore are willing to accept an increased level of risk in order to benefit from the possibility of much higher returns. Although studies have shown that the benefits of direct international investments to achieve adequate international portfolio diversification are limited for U.S. investors partly due to the fact that U.S. investors can invest in domestic multinational corporations, country funds. Another reason is possibly because the U.S. both the economy and its stock market are much more developed and diversified than other countries. The benefits of international investments are more easily realized in underdeveloped countries than in developed countries. Investing internationally makes sense to a lot of potential investors since for example foreign investment mutual funds provide the opportunity for individual investors which typically lack the necessary financial resources to buy a large number of stocks on their own to benefit from the expertise of a professionally administered international investment mutual fund. Recently national economies have become more closely linked due to globalization, growing international trade, and investment capital flows. This might lead to realize that the benefits of international portfolio diversification might be overstated. Despite significant interdependencies between markets, there is still room for international diversification. A recent tendency has been for investors to look into emerging economies as good candidates for international diversification. Sinc e ongoing research suggests that since emerging economies are not closely correlated to industrialized there are still considerable opportunities to benefit from international diversification. There are various investment vehicles investors can use to build up a portfolio in the equity and money markets. The most popular form of investment is common stock. The price ticker investors’ track on Wall Street represents common stock investments. Common stocks are equity investment that represents a right of ownership. People that invest in common stock have voting rights over certain corporation decisions. There are different types of common stocks. Two types of common stocks are blue chip and penny stocks. Blue chip stocks are stocks that are issued by a well-known company with an established record of making money and paying dividends (Teweles & Bradley & Teweles, 1992). An example of a blue chip stock company is Microsoft Corporation. Within the category of common stock blue ch ips are considered the safest type of investment. On the other side of the spectrum are penny stocks. Penny stocks are can be defined as stocks that trade at a relative low price and market capitalization typically outside the major marketplaces (Investopedia, 2011). Penny stocks are very risky and on many occasion the stocks go into default as these penny stock companies run out of business. Another popular type of investment that is often

Change for the better Essay Example for Free

Change for the better Essay Describe a situation in which critical and creative thought could have been used for a better outcome. Describe why it is important to think critically and creatively in similar situations. A situation that critical and creative thought could have been used for a better outcome is when buyers were making choices about buying real estate. There was a time back in 2006 thru 2007 that the real estate market was showing significant weakness where previously to that year it was thriving, but buyers were not thinking critically and creatively. Instead investors were being avaricious and they let their greedy ways of thinking make decisions for them. To make things poorer, lenders were very hostile in their lending procedures while nobody in the government was watching. Investors continue to buy properties at high prices. They were even paying over the listed prices for certain properties. Then there went it was ruined, and investors were trapped with nearly valueless properties. This is why and how thousands of properties started going into foreclosure. This was a hard lesson to learn but today the lending rules have changed thanks to a revamp of the lending practices. By thinking critically and creatively the government has constricted an improved unsupervised system. Define free will, truth, knowledge, and opinion. Explain how we use them to form thoughts. The moderate definition of free will is when people have choices when it comes to decisions like whether to attend an event or finish an assignment. Another example is getting up to go to work, although it may look uncontrollable, it really is a choice you make every day. For this reason, it is ironic that so much confusion exists about truth (Ruggiero, p. 27, 2009). Even otherwise intelligent people can be heard saying things such as â€Å"Everyone makes his or her own truth,† â€Å"One person’s truth is another person’s error,† â€Å"Truth is relative,† and â€Å"Truth is constantly changing† (Ruggiero, p. 27, 2009).All of these ideas undermine thinking (Ruggiero, p. 27, 2009). Knowledge can change as new information is becomes accessible. Ideas do not constitute knowledge unless they correspond to reality (Ruggiero, p.28, 2009). â€Å"Opinions are i ntensely personal, so it is understandable that people have strong feelings about theirs (Ruggiero, p. 34, 2009). But many people carry those feelings beyond the boundaries of good sense (Ruggiero, p. 34, 2009). They take the valid idea â€Å"Everyone has a right to his or her opinion† to the ridiculous extreme of â€Å"Everyone’s opinion is right† (Ruggiero, p. 34, 2009).

Catcher In The Rye - A Sequel Essay -- essays research papers

Catcher In The Rye - A Sequel Loomis Chaffee Chapter 1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another day another school...I thought about this new school they placed me in. They said I will like it. Well I'll be the one to decide that. Next thing I know I'm on a 6:30 train to Windsor, CT.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was a Thursday and I received a call from Mr.Spencer, well it wasn't really for me but for my parents. I immediately new who it was, you can just hear it's a school teacher. One can just hear that over the phone. After the phone hangs up I hear a yell, â€Å"Holden, front and center!† Then we go throughout that whole, we had a discussion with, and all that crap. Then I received the news, after speaking to Mr.Spencer we have decided to send you to Loomis Chaffee. â€Å"Loomis Chaffee!† I...

Battle of Conformity and Non-conformity Essay

In Tom Schulman’s Dead Poets Society a group of bright students are enrolled in a prestigious New England private school named Welton Academy. This school stresses conformity and tradition as one of its trademarks. In order to survive in this school one must never challenge the institution. Dead Poets Society is a powerful example of the constant battle between conformity and non-conformity. Mr. Keating, a teacher at Welton, fights on the side of non-conformity and free- thinking. On the first day of school, he shows them a picture of past classes. He tells them that they are all in the Earth now, and they have a message for his current students. The message was â€Å"carpe diem†, or â€Å"seize the day†. He is telling them that one-day they will be dead, so it is imperative that they â€Å"make their lives extraordinary† and to â€Å"carpe diem†, seize the day. Carpe diem is important because he tells them to follow their dreams, but in many cases their dreams went against the principles of the school. Through his unorthodox teaching style he taught them that conformity was not necessary. Many of the poems he taught them all preached carpe diem, such as the following: Gather ye rosebuds while ye may Old time is still a flying And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying. â€Å"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may† means that make your dreams come true before you die. However, they could never live their dreams if they conformed to what their parents wanted, or what their principal wanted. Another example of how his teaching promoted free thinking and non-conformity was the way he ripped out the introduction by J. Evans Prichard. He didn’t want his students to conform to Prichard’s views on poetry he wanted them to form their own views. He called the introduction â€Å"excrement† and yelled â€Å"rip it, rip it out†. Everyday in his classroom there would be a lesson that preached against non-conformity along with poetry. After reading a poem, Mr. Keating stood up on the table and said, â€Å"Why do I stand here? To feel taller than you? I stand on my desk to remind myself that we must constantly force ourselves to look at things differently.† He then invites his students to stand up. This is obviously a lesson in free thinking and non-conformity. He is saying that there is more than one view to everything, and he is inviting them to be unconventional. Mr. Keating  helps almost all of his students become free thinkers and non-conformists. This is illustrated at the end, when they all stand on their desks. Mr. Nolan, the principal at Welton, is a man who believes that tradition and conformity should be upheld in all cases. From the first day of school, he teaches them never to diverge from tradition. In the opening assembly, every word spoken by the students is done in unison. They all recite the four pillars, which are tradition, honor, excellence, and discipline. Neil Perry is a victim of society’s need for conformity. He is a Welton student, who has been entrapped in his father’s web of restrictions.