Progress and the Total Destruction of the Earth :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Progress and the Total Destruction of the EarthThroughout any of history, clement beings have been evolving not only genetically, that also culturally. Of the dickens evolutionary processes, cultural evolution happens more quickly, and has had a more pronounced effect on the environment compared to genetic evolution. Early run awaying watch/ collector societies evolved to agricultural society, which past had technological changes that affected the culture of the society. Unfortunately, while humans have been culturally evolving towards what is perceived to be progress, the environment has been compromised, marginalized, and degraded as it is continually exploited for human benefit and consumption.The culture of hunting watch/gatherer society was the least damaging to the environment in the long circumstance before humans developed horticulture. There are several reasons for this. First, human population was much smaller in comparison to what it became during the agrarian age. Second, hunter/gatherer societies tended to be largely nomadic, which allowed the environment time to recover and rejuvenate whatever native resources were used. Third, humans simply did not have the technologies to march on exploit the environment. Human population was much smaller during the time of hunter/gatherer societies due to high rates of infant morality, infectious diseases, and friendly morality - infanticide, geronticide, and warfare (Southwick 128). Fewer people mean fewer demands on the environment. With growth in human population, the grasses and animal populations humans used for aliveness did not have time to recover, which turned into humans using the earths natural resources in an unsustainable manner (class discussion 02.14.03). Humans living in agrarian society do not necessarily use the environments resources in an unsustainable manner, but the greater the population density, the more land will be essential to support that population in a sustainabl e manner. As resources go bad more and more scarce, field owners will be less ordain to let land lay fallow (class discussion 02.21.03). Humans then found a tech fix with the development of agriculture and the vapidness of animals. Cipolla calls it the first great economical revolution (Cipolla 18). The development of agriculture draw out to the development of communities, city-states, civilizations, and other settlements. The social structure that formed around agriculture brought about the possibility of specialization within a society, since not everyone had to hunt and gather all the time. Instead of living in an ecologically sustainable manner like the hunter/gatherers, people started living in an economic manner (Southwick 128). Specialization enabled the development of social institutions such as righteousness and government, and agriculture necessitated the development of irrigation.