I normally consider myself to be a person who appreciates simplicity, so my initial reaction to this question was that I would prefer a foraging society to an industrial society. By the time I had finished thinking it through, however, I was less certain of my preference. Four advantages of a foraging society that I find particularly compelling (in addition to “simplicity,” to whatever extent that assumption is true) relate to human health, population control, egalitarianism, and sustainability.
The need to hunt and gather for subsistence means that people are active through the day and unlikely to indulge in laziness and in wasteful overeating habits that can wreak havoc on human health. Therefore, it stands to reason that lifestyle-linked health problems, such as diabetes, coronary disease, obesity, and in some cases, cancer are less commonplace or non-existent in foraging societies. In an industrial society, we have the technical ability to alter things not intended for human consumption into “food” with questionable safety. I’m thinking about everything from aspartame to Twinkies, to genetically modified organisms… there is no shortage of examples of consumables in an industrialized society that should be considered eat-at-your-own-risk. We have moved away from consuming simple, whole foods and toward an array of fast-food habits just because we can. Unfortunately, the negative health impacts of some of these habits are becoming clearer all the time.
In biology I
The transition from the traditional hunter gatherer societies, in to an agriculture based living system, has allowed humans to increase their population size, putting strains on the Earth’s environment. Agriculture has also brought along with it a decrease in women’s roles in the community, while also bringing about a class system where the wealthy rule, and were the weak and poor obey. As humans began to domesticate more plants and animals, they settled in permanent areas. The Change from hunter gatherer benefited few, but had dire consequences for the earth and groups with in it. One such consequence was the population increase, which has lead to major issues throughout history, and one that has ties to current global issues.
The article “Not in my fridge” by Jeffery M. Smith elaborately discussed the health hazards of genetically modified (GM) products. This article has opened my eyes and revealed my ignorance of how unmindful of what I have eaten for years. I was very alarmed by many of the things I have learned in this article. After learning the side-effect of GM food, I was certainly concerned for our health. Moreover, learning that the biotech company’s strong stand in advocate of GM products as well as the United States governments and the Food and Drug administration (FDA) cover up of serious safety issues of GM highly disturbed me.
Hunter gatherer and agriculturalist societies have many similarities and differences. Population of hunter and gatherer groups have decreased. Neither one of them didn't have much technology at the beginning. They started off using sticks and stones. Hunter gatherers were pretty healthy. Agriculturalist were not as healthy as hunter gatherers. They had some health problems.
One reason why farming was the worst mistake in the history of the human race is because it led to the division of social classes. When people were hunter-gatherers, it required no special skill, they couldn’t store their own food, and “they live[d] off the wild plants and animals they obtained each day” (5). Therefore, there cannot be any social classes because everyone was
Hunter Gatherers Argumentative Essay Approximately 10,000 years ago, early humans transitioned from hunter gatherers to agriculturists changing how we live today, the Neolithic Revolution. This revolution was an unnecessary change that has been effecting us in a negative way for thousands of years. This “progression” in human history connects perfectly to the known term, “overthinking something”. Everyday life is much more complicated than it ever needed to be thanks to the Neolithic Revolution.
Dying is a natural phenomenon which affects everyone; however, nobody stops to think about it and its implications. If humans truly reflected on what dying meant, it would affect the way they live. Mitch Album, author of Tuesdays with Morrie, was able to study and learn much about life from Morrie Schwartz, his old college professor, who wanted to impart the knowledge he learned as he died to Mitch so he could learn how to live. Morrie believed, “’Once you learn how to die you learn how to live’” (P. 82 M).
How did early civilizations effectively develop and utilize early plants and vegetables to move from hunter-gatherers to agriculturists, and what were the impacts socially, politically, and technically? “Agriculture did not emerge from an untapped resource base or randomly distributed family or tribal units of Homo sapiens sapiens. It emerged as the result of efforts by highly organized ecologically canny communities composed of skilled hunter-gatherers.” In the beginning of what is considered burgeoning civilization, humanities ancestors were what were called hunter-gatherers. They moved from place to place, following the source of their food in order to survive the brutal aspects of early life. If they could not find food, or not find it in sufficient amount, they would starve and eventually die off. Thus, the only decision facing them was to relocate their tribes in order to better take advantage of the available game. As the second portion of their name implied, they were also considered gatherers, in which they subsisted on whatever grains and green vegetables or fruits they could find to eat. It was this kind of lifestyle which led to a smaller, tribal mindset in which you ate what you could, when you could. Over time this began to change, with the establishment of agricultural practices which allowed for availability of much needed crops and the decision of tribes to establish permanent communities, as well as the increase in both number of members and life terms.
Many responsibilities come with the job as the clan leader, one of which is where the group should go in the future. At this time, our world is going through a revolution, known as the Neolithic Revolution, where people are abandoning hunting and gathering and are practicing a different technique called farming. To farm, we must all stop moving from place to place but stay put in one place. You place seeds into the soil and plants grow after time. As the clan leader, I choose to relinquish the old hunting and gathering method and participate in the Neolithic Revolution.
Horticulture is defined as "the production of plants using a simple nonmechanized technology" (Nanda and Warms 2006:148), while Webster's Dictionary defines horticulture as the art or science of growing fruits, vegetables, plants, flowers, or trees. When most people think of horticulture, they simply think of gardening or farming. Most people do not associate horticulture with culture itself or how horticulture relates to anthropology, or the study human culture. In all actuality, horticulture is a major part of cultural anthropology. The groups that hunt and grow food, and the associated eating rituals or ceremonies associated with food differs by culture or environment. This paper will discuss the subsistence pattern of horticulture as
The author describes a global food revolution that began years ago from New York and Paris to London and Toronto. Consumers are becoming aware of the food they are purchasing at their local grocery store and realizing the grocery store is just a facade. Many small time organic farms started disappearing because of the mass producing large scale industrial farms which became possible after the industrial revolution. Large scale industrial farms are producing food in large quantities with low quality while polluting the earth and harming consumers because they are focused on one thing: profit. It makes it difficult for grocery stores to say no to these industrial farms just because of how cheap and convenient their product is. It also allows the grocery stores to supply produce year-round that normally would not be in season in a specific area. The sustainable factors and health of the consumers and the planet were of no concern when it came to higher produce yields and lower costs for both the conventional industrial farms and grocery stores. In 1996, industrial farms introduced genetically modified crops to increase yields and make more profit. Since then, more than 70% of foods produced contain genetically altered ingredients which has led to consumers being more prone to illnesses like cancer, diabetes, and obesity. This idea from Food and the City makes me furious because there are so many processed foods today that are hard to get away from. Mass industrial farms and manufacturers have found ways to extend food’s shelf life and alter the basic ingredients that would normally be considered healthy. With all of the additives, who knows what the food actually is and the harm it could do to your
With this increase in the productivity of farmers, came a proliferation of food processing industries and fast food restaurants. These food processing industries and restaurants capitalized on the abundant, overly cheap commodity crops to their advantage; to make profit, and to the disadvantage of poor Americans. During processing of these commodity crops, the natural nutrients that give these foods their natural flavors are destroyed. To replace these, food additives and flavorings are added to restore their taste and prolong their shelf life. Often these chemicals contain some harmful elements that affect the way our bodies use food. These highly processed foods, dense in calories,
Another crucial way in which humans are harmed from genetically modified foods is obesity. Obesity stems from an abnormal diet with high calorie-dense foods which results in above average body fat. It is associated with increased risk of disease such as cardiovascular failure and liver cancer, disability and incapacitation from excess weight on the joints and bones, and even death from complications arising from the obesity – not the obesity itself. People are consciously ignorant about the foods they eat. “Obesity is the sixth most common disease worldwide. Approximately 1.1 billion adults and 10% of children are considered obese” (Haslam). Obesity is a chronic
Is the food were eating safe? What exactly is going into my body? Will I get sick or die from eating or drinking this? These are questions millions of Americans are puzzled with everyday. Approximately 325,000 Americans are fossilized and 5,000 die from food-borne disease. Some people think that whatever they are eating and putting into their bodies is safe, for me, that’s not true.
It was the summer of 2014. We had ten days to have the American vacation of a lifetime. This short period of time in my life would define America to my family and I. The rocky structures, colors resembling rust in Utah, the blistering heat of Arizona. The insect ridden Nebraska. The industrial Ilinois. The Great Lakes overlooked by Wisconsin. The rocky mountains covered from base to peak in trees, almost submerged in a vivid green. Now it was time, to take it all on and explore.
Food, health and medical technologies have a large impact on individuals and communities today and in the future. Throughout this paper, discussion will involve the issues that society faces regarding food and health and how we can create a healthier and safer world for our future.