Biological Anthro Exam 1 Questions And
Answers
Why are scientific 'facts' provisional? Uncertainty helps scientists to keep expanding upon
knowledge and keep forming theories and ideas that can further develop old beliefs. If something
is falsifiable, scientists can observe what needs to hap...
Why are scientific 'facts' provisional? Uncertainty helps scientists to keep expanding upon
knowledge and keep forming theories and ideas that can further develop old beliefs. If something
is falsifiable, scientists can observe what needs to happen in order to cause it to be wrong.
What is a hypothesis in the scientific sense? a statement that suggests that a causal
relationship between the events; a proposed explanation; a guess about how something works.
(When x, then y.)
How do we test hypotheses? Test by evaluating how regular it is. Set up or look for
conditions where x occurs, and observing whether y also occurs.
How does one reject a hypothesis? If y doesn't always occur, then a hypothesis is rejected.
If y always occurs, the hypothesis is supported.
What are scientific laws? Scientific law is a statement based on repeated experimental
observations that describes some aspect of the universe. Always applies under the same
conditions and implies that there is a causal relationship involving its elements.
, Biological Anthro Exam 1 Questions And
Answers
What are scientific theories? Group of hypotheses that explain certain phenomena.
How does the use of the word theory differ from its contextual use in Science and in everyday
speech? Science- well established and inter-related set of facts and hypotheses that is used
to explain diverse events and phenomena. Everyday Speech- System of ideas intended to explain
something. Set of principles in which an activity is based.
Scala Naturae / Great Chain of Being / Aristotle We can rank the world. We can rank
species based upon how perfect and human-like they are. You could start with something such as
the 'earthworm'- lizards-rodents-primate (gorilla)-human. Humans are at the top, the pinnacles of
creation. Christians adapted this and called it the chain of being with God at the top.
What is Essentialism? (Immutability, fixity, of species)- A belief that things have a set of
unchanging characteristics that make them what they are. If you want to define what it means to
be a human, you just find the traits that all humans have. Variation among things is just
unimportant deviation from the 'essence'. What we all have in common is our essence-
differences are results of the fact that we are a little bit off from the ideal mark.
, Biological Anthro Exam 1 Questions And
Answers
Heliocentrism Vs. an Earth-centered solar system and universe: Helio- Earth and planets
revolve around the sun at the center of the Solar System. Theory of Copernicus. Earth-centered-
Geocentric model created by Plato and Aristotle.
Ptolemy Earth Centered Universe. Teleology: the whole system was designed to work
together exactly how it does; the world is in perfect harmony; you need every piece for it to
work; must stay the way it currently is. Extinction is impossible; comparison to the watch
metaphor; says that we have the 'best of all possible worlds'.
Copernicus Heliocentric (Sun centered) model of the universe.
Galileo Believed in a sun centered Universe.
Plato Essentialism and Immutability (Fixity) of species
How did Essentialist view variation? Species are constant through time. There are
stringent limitations to the possible variation of any one species.
, Biological Anthro Exam 1 Questions And
Answers
Why are species 'fixed' according to an essentialist? If things are already perfect the way
they are, then species must be fixed in order for everything to stay the same. Extinction also
cannot happen because that would be a deviation for the species.
Carolus Linneaus Catalogued "Essences". Strict Essentialist. Catalogued species and
focused on the gaps between species. Fixity of species was his belief.
Taxonomy Taxonomy- How you name organized species: Linnean Hierarchy (Kingdom,
Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species).
Hierarchical classification (i.e. the system created by Linneaus? Kingdom, Phylum, Class,
Order, Family, Genus, Species.
What is Teleology? The whole system of the Earth was designed to work together exactly
how it does. The world is in perfect harmony. The world is not perfect, but you need every single
piece for it to work- it must stay the way it currently is.
Paley Natural Teleology
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