Evolution and Crime

Evolution Evolution has not been linear At least 15 species of hominids have been identified Upright creatures at least 3 million years ago Lucy Footprints

Evolution A recent discovery indicates that the first bipedal may have occurred 5 million years ago Tool construction 2 million years ago (homo habilis) Homo sapiens (our immediate ancestors) appeared about 100,000 years ago

Evolution Neanderthals, another hominid species, coexisted during the same time period Homo sapiens sapiens appeared about 45,000 years ago Notable differences: arts, improved tool construction, probably language, more complex social hierarchies

Evolution With the advent of homo sapiens sapiens, Neanderthals became extinct in the next 10,000-15,000 years Did we wage war on them? Assimilate? No evidence Most likely we edged them out

Evolution Most striking aspect of our species is its adaptability Appears to have spread out of Africa, to Eurasia, to the Americas and ultimately to the South Pacific, to every part of the world except Antarctica

Evolution For most of our history, hunter/scavenger-gathers Traditional: extended families, n possessions, nomadic !Kung of the sub-Saharan Africa Small groups, 30-150 people, extended face to face contact

Evolution Agriculture appeared around 10,000 years ago Major change, took place gradually In some places it never occurred (!kung, rain forests) because conditions were not conducive to its development In some places, “partial” agriculture

Evolution Requires: plants that can be more easily domesticated Assisted by available animals that can be easily domesticated No coincidence that the earliest “civilizations” were in the Middle East and then Eurasia

Evolution Advantages of agriculture Larger numbers of people could be fed to support a growing population Some freed to pursue other interests (arts, soldiers to protect) Being able to stay in one place rather than migrate to new food sources

Evolution Disadvantages Dependence on a limited number of foods; if crops fail, the group is in jeopardy Development of possessions enhanced and exaggerated status differences Creation of “haves” and “have nots” (Marx)

Evolution For at least 35,000 of our 45,000 years we were hunter-gatherers For some groups, almost all of our existence We have gone through very rapid changes for which we are ill-prepared Evolutionary biologists argue that we tend to lose sight of our origins (ex. dating, eating)

Traditional vs. Modern Societies Hunter-gather Extended family Group oriented Close knit Informal sanctions Little formal training Preliterate Technology Nuclear family Individual oriented Spread apart Formal sanctions Sanctions Literate

Traditional vs. modern Cooperative Consensus Sharing resources Competitive Little consensus Acquiring resources, hoarding

Nature of man Good v. evil Aggression (chimpanzees) Cooperative nature of humans Development of complex interactions (partially a function of languages) We cooperate, constantly on the alert for violations

Nature of man Controls placed by long-term face to face contacts Prisoner Dilemma games Are we good or evil? Tendencies for both Emergent properties, result of civilization Stealing, aggression