Stephanie Y. Mitchem
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195167979
- eISBN:
- 9780199784981
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019516797X.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter explores the ideas of honoring ancestors and self in the classroom, along the borders. To begin this exploration, it focuses on some aspects of the borders of black lives in the United ...
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This chapter explores the ideas of honoring ancestors and self in the classroom, along the borders. To begin this exploration, it focuses on some aspects of the borders of black lives in the United States. The borders of education is the focus in the next section of the book. The idea of honoring ancestors is related to the course, “Womanist Spiritual Autobiography”; and honoring self is discussed in relation to the course “Womanist Theology and Literature”.Less
This chapter explores the ideas of honoring ancestors and self in the classroom, along the borders. To begin this exploration, it focuses on some aspects of the borders of black lives in the United States. The borders of education is the focus in the next section of the book. The idea of honoring ancestors is related to the course, “Womanist Spiritual Autobiography”; and honoring self is discussed in relation to the course “Womanist Theology and Literature”.
Federico Varese
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198297369
- eISBN:
- 9780191600272
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829736X.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Russian Politics
The first section of the chapter describes the main features of the original society of the vory-v-zakone – thieves-with-a-code-of-honour – the criminal fraternity that flourished in the Soviet ...
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The first section of the chapter describes the main features of the original society of the vory-v-zakone – thieves-with-a-code-of-honour – the criminal fraternity that flourished in the Soviet labour camps between the 1920s and the 1950s, and re-emerged in the 1970s. The account given is based on archival data that have not been presented before, and describes the rituals and practices involved, the vory code of behaviour, vory activities outside prison, and punishment in vory courts. The second section addresses the question of the origins of the vory-v-zakone society, namely, whether it was a Soviet or pre-Revolutionary phenomenon. It is concluded that the fraternity most likely evolved from pre-Revolutionary criminal nineteenth-century arteli (guilds) of ordinary thieves.Less
The first section of the chapter describes the main features of the original society of the vory-v-zakone – thieves-with-a-code-of-honour – the criminal fraternity that flourished in the Soviet labour camps between the 1920s and the 1950s, and re-emerged in the 1970s. The account given is based on archival data that have not been presented before, and describes the rituals and practices involved, the vory code of behaviour, vory activities outside prison, and punishment in vory courts. The second section addresses the question of the origins of the vory-v-zakone society, namely, whether it was a Soviet or pre-Revolutionary phenomenon. It is concluded that the fraternity most likely evolved from pre-Revolutionary criminal nineteenth-century arteli (guilds) of ordinary thieves.
Daniel Butt
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199218240
- eISBN:
- 9780191711589
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199218240.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory, International Relations and Politics
This chapter considers the question of the responsibility that present day generations bear as a result of the actions of their ancestors. Is it morally significant that we share a national identity ...
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This chapter considers the question of the responsibility that present day generations bear as a result of the actions of their ancestors. Is it morally significant that we share a national identity with those responsible for the perpetration of historic injustice? The chapter argues that we can be guilty of wrongdoing stemming from past wrongdoing if we are members of nations that are responsible for an ongoing failure to fulfil rectificatory duties. This rests upon three claims: that the failure to fulfil rectificatory duties is unjust; that nations can bear collective responsibility for the actions of their leaders; and that nations are comprised of overlapping generations rather than successive generations. The claim that present day parties should apologise for historic injustice is then considered, and it is argued that such an apology is best understood in relation to an ongoing failure to fulfil rectificatory duties.Less
This chapter considers the question of the responsibility that present day generations bear as a result of the actions of their ancestors. Is it morally significant that we share a national identity with those responsible for the perpetration of historic injustice? The chapter argues that we can be guilty of wrongdoing stemming from past wrongdoing if we are members of nations that are responsible for an ongoing failure to fulfil rectificatory duties. This rests upon three claims: that the failure to fulfil rectificatory duties is unjust; that nations can bear collective responsibility for the actions of their leaders; and that nations are comprised of overlapping generations rather than successive generations. The claim that present day parties should apologise for historic injustice is then considered, and it is argued that such an apology is best understood in relation to an ongoing failure to fulfil rectificatory duties.
Richard Dawkins
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195310726
- eISBN:
- 9780199785179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195310726.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Richard Dawkins is a public intellectual and the best-selling author of The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, The Ancestor’s Tale, The God Delusion, and many other books. Dawkins, known as an ...
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Richard Dawkins is a public intellectual and the best-selling author of The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, The Ancestor’s Tale, The God Delusion, and many other books. Dawkins, known as an evolutionist and materialist, is also well known for being an atheist and anti-religious. He has become an outspoken foe of religion, using science to discredit religious beliefs. Many serious theologians find Dawkins’ reaction to religion naïve, unfounded, and puzzling in terms of both its ferocity and its origins. Dawkins remains active as an important cultural voice, but his vision of both science and religion is one that many find inadequate and unsettling, strangely archaic in a post-modern world.Less
Richard Dawkins is a public intellectual and the best-selling author of The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, The Ancestor’s Tale, The God Delusion, and many other books. Dawkins, known as an evolutionist and materialist, is also well known for being an atheist and anti-religious. He has become an outspoken foe of religion, using science to discredit religious beliefs. Many serious theologians find Dawkins’ reaction to religion naïve, unfounded, and puzzling in terms of both its ferocity and its origins. Dawkins remains active as an important cultural voice, but his vision of both science and religion is one that many find inadequate and unsettling, strangely archaic in a post-modern world.
Khun Eng Kuah-Pearce
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789888028818
- eISBN:
- 9789882207332
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888028818.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This work illustrates the relationship between one group of Singaporean Chinese and their ancestral village in Fujian, China. It explores the reasons why the Singaporean Chinese continue to maintain ...
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This work illustrates the relationship between one group of Singaporean Chinese and their ancestral village in Fujian, China. It explores the reasons why the Singaporean Chinese continue to maintain ties with their ancestral village and how they reproduce Chinese culture through ancestor worship and religion in the ancestral village. In some cases, the Singaporeans feel morally obliged to assist in village reconstruction and infrastructure developments such as new roads, bridges, schools, and hospitals. Others help with small-scale industrial and retail activities. Meanwhile, officials and villagers in the ancestral home utilize various strategies to encourage the Singaporeans to revisit their ancestral village, sustain heritage ties, and help enhance the moral economy. This ethnographic study examines two geographically distinct groups of Chinese coming together to re-establish their lineage and identity through cultural and economic activities.Less
This work illustrates the relationship between one group of Singaporean Chinese and their ancestral village in Fujian, China. It explores the reasons why the Singaporean Chinese continue to maintain ties with their ancestral village and how they reproduce Chinese culture through ancestor worship and religion in the ancestral village. In some cases, the Singaporeans feel morally obliged to assist in village reconstruction and infrastructure developments such as new roads, bridges, schools, and hospitals. Others help with small-scale industrial and retail activities. Meanwhile, officials and villagers in the ancestral home utilize various strategies to encourage the Singaporeans to revisit their ancestral village, sustain heritage ties, and help enhance the moral economy. This ethnographic study examines two geographically distinct groups of Chinese coming together to re-establish their lineage and identity through cultural and economic activities.
Axel Michaels
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195343021
- eISBN:
- 9780199866984
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195343021.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This chapter discusses the significance of the Bālā's Fourteenth what? (Bālācaturdaśī). This festival is observed on the fourteenth of the dark half of the moon in the month of Maṅgsīr ...
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This chapter discusses the significance of the Bālā's Fourteenth what? (Bālācaturdaśī). This festival is observed on the fourteenth of the dark half of the moon in the month of Maṅgsīr (November/December). Through it, ancestors commonly are remembered in performances by Hindus and Buddhists with fire sacrifices (homa) and night vigilance.Less
This chapter discusses the significance of the Bālā's Fourteenth what? (Bālācaturdaśī). This festival is observed on the fourteenth of the dark half of the moon in the month of Maṅgsīr (November/December). Through it, ancestors commonly are remembered in performances by Hindus and Buddhists with fire sacrifices (homa) and night vigilance.
Raymond P. Scheindlin
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195315424
- eISBN:
- 9780199872039
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315424.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Halevi justifies his journey to himself and others in four poems. In the first poem, he reproaches himself for worldliness and urges himself to put his ideas of trust in God to the test. In the ...
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Halevi justifies his journey to himself and others in four poems. In the first poem, he reproaches himself for worldliness and urges himself to put his ideas of trust in God to the test. In the second poem, he disputes the contention that the Holy Land has lost its sacredness since the Jews were exiled by asserting that it will be the locus of resurrection of the dead and by unleashing his famous tirade against Greek philosophy. The third poem is a reply to someone who attempted to persuade him to stay in Egypt on the grounds that it, too, was the site of miracles for the Jewish people. The last poem is a long internal monologue in which he responds to friends who objected not only to his pilgrimage but to his whole turn from worldliness to piety.Less
Halevi justifies his journey to himself and others in four poems. In the first poem, he reproaches himself for worldliness and urges himself to put his ideas of trust in God to the test. In the second poem, he disputes the contention that the Holy Land has lost its sacredness since the Jews were exiled by asserting that it will be the locus of resurrection of the dead and by unleashing his famous tirade against Greek philosophy. The third poem is a reply to someone who attempted to persuade him to stay in Egypt on the grounds that it, too, was the site of miracles for the Jewish people. The last poem is a long internal monologue in which he responds to friends who objected not only to his pilgrimage but to his whole turn from worldliness to piety.
David T. Lamb
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199231478
- eISBN:
- 9780191710841
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199231478.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This chapter discusses how Deuteronomistic redactor (Dtr) has shaped the narrative of Jehu (2 Kgs. 9-10) to portray the ruler favourably. Since Dtr's positive perspective is seen most clearly in the ...
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This chapter discusses how Deuteronomistic redactor (Dtr) has shaped the narrative of Jehu (2 Kgs. 9-10) to portray the ruler favourably. Since Dtr's positive perspective is seen most clearly in the righteous regnal evaluation of Jehu, it is discussed first, despite its location toward the end of the narrative (2 Kgs. 10: 30). The chapter then goes on to investigate Jehu's ancestry in both Hebrew and Assyrian sources. Jehu's anointing and divine election are mentioned at the beginning of the narrative (2 Kgs. 9: 1-13) and therefore they are analyzed next in the chapter. The following two sections discuss Jehu's violent rebellion, which dominates the narrative (2 Kgs. 9: 14-10: 27), and Jehu's contracting borders, which is limited to a few verses (2 Kgs. 10: 32-3). Jehu's Assyrian tribute is then discussed (2.7) before the findings of the chapter are summarized.Less
This chapter discusses how Deuteronomistic redactor (Dtr) has shaped the narrative of Jehu (2 Kgs. 9-10) to portray the ruler favourably. Since Dtr's positive perspective is seen most clearly in the righteous regnal evaluation of Jehu, it is discussed first, despite its location toward the end of the narrative (2 Kgs. 10: 30). The chapter then goes on to investigate Jehu's ancestry in both Hebrew and Assyrian sources. Jehu's anointing and divine election are mentioned at the beginning of the narrative (2 Kgs. 9: 1-13) and therefore they are analyzed next in the chapter. The following two sections discuss Jehu's violent rebellion, which dominates the narrative (2 Kgs. 9: 14-10: 27), and Jehu's contracting borders, which is limited to a few verses (2 Kgs. 10: 32-3). Jehu's Assyrian tribute is then discussed (2.7) before the findings of the chapter are summarized.
William S. Sax
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195335866
- eISBN:
- 9780199868919
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335866.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
A truism of ethnology is that death rituals and related practices are oriented more toward the living than the dead; that they seek to re-organize social relationships that have been damaged by the ...
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A truism of ethnology is that death rituals and related practices are oriented more toward the living than the dead; that they seek to re-organize social relationships that have been damaged by the death of a loved one. This chapter shows how Garhwali beliefs and practices relating to death, ghosts, and exorcism accomplish this task. Fundamentally, they do so by transforming the ambivalent, dangerous ghost into a beneficent, auspicious ancestor.Less
A truism of ethnology is that death rituals and related practices are oriented more toward the living than the dead; that they seek to re-organize social relationships that have been damaged by the death of a loved one. This chapter shows how Garhwali beliefs and practices relating to death, ghosts, and exorcism accomplish this task. Fundamentally, they do so by transforming the ambivalent, dangerous ghost into a beneficent, auspicious ancestor.
STEVEN MITHEN
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264195
- eISBN:
- 9780191734540
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264195.003.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
The modern human is a product of six million years of evolution wherein it is assumed that the ancestor of man resembles that of a chimpanzee. This assumption is based on the similarities of the ...
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The modern human is a product of six million years of evolution wherein it is assumed that the ancestor of man resembles that of a chimpanzee. This assumption is based on the similarities of the ape-like brain size and post-cranial characteristics of the earliest hominid species to chimpanzees. Whilst it is unclear whether chimpanzees share the same foresight and contemplation of alternatives as with humans, it is nevertheless clear that chimpanzees lack creative imagination — an aspect of modern human imagination that sets humanity apart from its hominid ancestors. Creative imagination pertains to the ability to combine different forms of knowledge and ways of thinking to form creative and novel ideas. This chapter discusses seven critical steps in the evolution of the human imagination. These steps provide a clear picture of the gradual emergence of creative imagination in humans from their primitive origins as Homo sapiens some 200,000 years ago. This chronological evolution of the imaginative mind of humans involves both biological and cultural change that began soon after the divergence of the two lineages that led to modern humans and African apes.Less
The modern human is a product of six million years of evolution wherein it is assumed that the ancestor of man resembles that of a chimpanzee. This assumption is based on the similarities of the ape-like brain size and post-cranial characteristics of the earliest hominid species to chimpanzees. Whilst it is unclear whether chimpanzees share the same foresight and contemplation of alternatives as with humans, it is nevertheless clear that chimpanzees lack creative imagination — an aspect of modern human imagination that sets humanity apart from its hominid ancestors. Creative imagination pertains to the ability to combine different forms of knowledge and ways of thinking to form creative and novel ideas. This chapter discusses seven critical steps in the evolution of the human imagination. These steps provide a clear picture of the gradual emergence of creative imagination in humans from their primitive origins as Homo sapiens some 200,000 years ago. This chronological evolution of the imaginative mind of humans involves both biological and cultural change that began soon after the divergence of the two lineages that led to modern humans and African apes.
Toni Gabaldón and Martijn A. Huynen
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199299188
- eISBN:
- 9780191714979
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199299188.003.0012
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
The process of inferring the set of proteins that was likely encoded in the genome of an extinct organism is called Ancestral Proteome Reconstruction. This process usually involves the comparison of ...
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The process of inferring the set of proteins that was likely encoded in the genome of an extinct organism is called Ancestral Proteome Reconstruction. This process usually involves the comparison of proteomes of extant species and the reconstruction of their ancestors by using different methods that range from parsimonius reconstruction over a species-phylogeny to the reconstruction and analysis of complete phylomes. Although still in its infancy, Ancestral Proteome Reconstruction has proven to be a very useful tool to test hypotheses on extant organisms and past evolutionary events. This chapter provides an overview of the methodology involved and surveys recent studies that deal with the origin and evolution of the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA), and eukaryotic organelles such as mitochondria and peroxisomes.Less
The process of inferring the set of proteins that was likely encoded in the genome of an extinct organism is called Ancestral Proteome Reconstruction. This process usually involves the comparison of proteomes of extant species and the reconstruction of their ancestors by using different methods that range from parsimonius reconstruction over a species-phylogeny to the reconstruction and analysis of complete phylomes. Although still in its infancy, Ancestral Proteome Reconstruction has proven to be a very useful tool to test hypotheses on extant organisms and past evolutionary events. This chapter provides an overview of the methodology involved and surveys recent studies that deal with the origin and evolution of the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA), and eukaryotic organelles such as mitochondria and peroxisomes.
Dawn J. Brooks and Eric A. Gaucher
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199299188
- eISBN:
- 9780191714979
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199299188.003.0017
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
The last universal ancestor (LUA) represents a relatively accessible theoretical intermediary between extant cellular organisms and early, precellular ‘life’. In a previous study, the ...
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The last universal ancestor (LUA) represents a relatively accessible theoretical intermediary between extant cellular organisms and early, precellular ‘life’. In a previous study, the expectation-maximization (EM) approach was used to infer ancestral amino acid frequencies, where in each iteration expected counts were derived from posterior distributions at each site. Applying this approach to estimate the amino acid composition of 65 proteins in the LUA showed that composition was more similar to that of extant thermophiles than mesophiles. This chapter examines whether the previous result is robust with respect to the OGT of the taxa used to infer the amino acid composition of proteins in the LUA. It is shown that even if only mesophilic species are used to derive the estimated ancestral amino acid composition, that composition is most similar to that of thermophiles, as measured by Euclidean distance. The relative mean Euclidean distance between the amino acid composition in any one species and that of a set of mesophiles or thermophiles can be used unequivocally to classify it. Thus, the inferred amino acid composition in the LUA allows its classification as a thermophile.Less
The last universal ancestor (LUA) represents a relatively accessible theoretical intermediary between extant cellular organisms and early, precellular ‘life’. In a previous study, the expectation-maximization (EM) approach was used to infer ancestral amino acid frequencies, where in each iteration expected counts were derived from posterior distributions at each site. Applying this approach to estimate the amino acid composition of 65 proteins in the LUA showed that composition was more similar to that of extant thermophiles than mesophiles. This chapter examines whether the previous result is robust with respect to the OGT of the taxa used to infer the amino acid composition of proteins in the LUA. It is shown that even if only mesophilic species are used to derive the estimated ancestral amino acid composition, that composition is most similar to that of thermophiles, as measured by Euclidean distance. The relative mean Euclidean distance between the amino acid composition in any one species and that of a set of mesophiles or thermophiles can be used unequivocally to classify it. Thus, the inferred amino acid composition in the LUA allows its classification as a thermophile.
Günter P. Wagner
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691156460
- eISBN:
- 9781400851461
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691156460.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This book examines homology, the correspondence of characters from different species or even within the same organism, from a mechanistic perspective. Homology is explained by derivation from a ...
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This book examines homology, the correspondence of characters from different species or even within the same organism, from a mechanistic perspective. Homology is explained by derivation from a common ancestor that had the same character or trait. This explanation applies at least to characters from different species. Accordingly, this concept has applications in many fields of biology by referring to morphological characters, behaviors, proteins and genes, gene regulatory networks, and developmental mechanisms and processes. The book considers one class of homology relationships, that between morphological characters, and describes the so-called character identity networks. It argues that the evolutionary origin of characters and body plans is the origin of those gene regulatory networks that underlie character identity.Less
This book examines homology, the correspondence of characters from different species or even within the same organism, from a mechanistic perspective. Homology is explained by derivation from a common ancestor that had the same character or trait. This explanation applies at least to characters from different species. Accordingly, this concept has applications in many fields of biology by referring to morphological characters, behaviors, proteins and genes, gene regulatory networks, and developmental mechanisms and processes. The book considers one class of homology relationships, that between morphological characters, and describes the so-called character identity networks. It argues that the evolutionary origin of characters and body plans is the origin of those gene regulatory networks that underlie character identity.
James Carter
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195398854
- eISBN:
- 9780199894413
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195398854.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Leaving Ningbo, Tanxu visits Beitang, the village where he grew up. Although none of his relatives live there any longer, he makes offerings at his parents’ graves, and in so doing illustrates the ...
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Leaving Ningbo, Tanxu visits Beitang, the village where he grew up. Although none of his relatives live there any longer, he makes offerings at his parents’ graves, and in so doing illustrates the tensions between traditional Confucian values and the solitary life of a Buddhist monk. In a culture that cherished large families and extended genealogies, Tanxu’s decision jeopardized an entire lineage. Even more affected was Tanxu’s former wife, whom he visited next, in Yingkou. Tanxu’s painful encounter with the mother of his children reminds the reader of the costs that accompanied Tanxu’s career choice, and make clear the human element of a religious vocation usually described in otherworldly terms.Less
Leaving Ningbo, Tanxu visits Beitang, the village where he grew up. Although none of his relatives live there any longer, he makes offerings at his parents’ graves, and in so doing illustrates the tensions between traditional Confucian values and the solitary life of a Buddhist monk. In a culture that cherished large families and extended genealogies, Tanxu’s decision jeopardized an entire lineage. Even more affected was Tanxu’s former wife, whom he visited next, in Yingkou. Tanxu’s painful encounter with the mother of his children reminds the reader of the costs that accompanied Tanxu’s career choice, and make clear the human element of a religious vocation usually described in otherworldly terms.
Matt J. Rossano
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195385816
- eISBN:
- 9780199870080
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195385816.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Chapter 3 continues to trace religion’s evolutionary history by identifying three “primitive” traits of religion: ancestor worship, animism, and shamanism. It is argued that these are religion’s ...
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Chapter 3 continues to trace religion’s evolutionary history by identifying three “primitive” traits of religion: ancestor worship, animism, and shamanism. It is argued that these are religion’s oldest known traits and that each represents a “supernaturalization” of human social life. In other words, each trait is fully integrated into the human social world, thus representing an extension of that world into a supernatural realm. Archaeological evidence is reviewed supporting the notion that these traits trace back to at least the Upper Paleolithic (35,000 years ago). Some evidence suggests that shamanism is likely even older.Less
Chapter 3 continues to trace religion’s evolutionary history by identifying three “primitive” traits of religion: ancestor worship, animism, and shamanism. It is argued that these are religion’s oldest known traits and that each represents a “supernaturalization” of human social life. In other words, each trait is fully integrated into the human social world, thus representing an extension of that world into a supernatural realm. Archaeological evidence is reviewed supporting the notion that these traits trace back to at least the Upper Paleolithic (35,000 years ago). Some evidence suggests that shamanism is likely even older.
Norman A. Johnson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195306750
- eISBN:
- 9780199790203
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306750.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Unlike most of our genes, mitochondrial DNA is transmitted solely by mothers; males are a dead-end for the mitochondria. Evolutionary biologists have determined that the most recent common ancestor ...
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Unlike most of our genes, mitochondrial DNA is transmitted solely by mothers; males are a dead-end for the mitochondria. Evolutionary biologists have determined that the most recent common ancestor of all mitochondrial genetic variants was a woman who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago. That we can trace back all mitochondrial DNA back to a single female (the mitochondrial Eve) is not a surprise. In fact, it is a simple consequence of population genetics. The location in time and place of this common ancestor does inform us about human demography and evolution. However, genetic recombination coupled with evolutionary forces will cause different genes to vary in their evolutionary histories. The mitochondrial “Eve” did not know the common ancestor of Y chromosomes, “Adam”. In fact, it is likely that the Y-chromosome Adam lived tens of thousands of years after the mitochondrial Eve.Less
Unlike most of our genes, mitochondrial DNA is transmitted solely by mothers; males are a dead-end for the mitochondria. Evolutionary biologists have determined that the most recent common ancestor of all mitochondrial genetic variants was a woman who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago. That we can trace back all mitochondrial DNA back to a single female (the mitochondrial Eve) is not a surprise. In fact, it is a simple consequence of population genetics. The location in time and place of this common ancestor does inform us about human demography and evolution. However, genetic recombination coupled with evolutionary forces will cause different genes to vary in their evolutionary histories. The mitochondrial “Eve” did not know the common ancestor of Y chromosomes, “Adam”. In fact, it is likely that the Y-chromosome Adam lived tens of thousands of years after the mitochondrial Eve.
Matthew Fox
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199211920
- eISBN:
- 9780191705854
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199211920.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This chapter places Cicero's use of ironic history within its cultural context. Several different areas of Roman approaches to the past are discussed: the use of historical exempla, the use of ...
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This chapter places Cicero's use of ironic history within its cultural context. Several different areas of Roman approaches to the past are discussed: the use of historical exempla, the use of funeral masks and the veneration of ancestors, and the Annalistic tradition of historical record-keeping. These are brought together in a discussion of Cicero's attitude to memory, and the intersection between memory and identity. The evidence from Cicero suggests an awareness of the symbolic power of history over its factual basis. The Roman interest in historical revival is explored. The chapter concludes that Cicero's use of history to explore rather than reinforce identity was characteristic of his times. His philosophical tendencies prompted him to exploit history's flexibility.Less
This chapter places Cicero's use of ironic history within its cultural context. Several different areas of Roman approaches to the past are discussed: the use of historical exempla, the use of funeral masks and the veneration of ancestors, and the Annalistic tradition of historical record-keeping. These are brought together in a discussion of Cicero's attitude to memory, and the intersection between memory and identity. The evidence from Cicero suggests an awareness of the symbolic power of history over its factual basis. The Roman interest in historical revival is explored. The chapter concludes that Cicero's use of history to explore rather than reinforce identity was characteristic of his times. His philosophical tendencies prompted him to exploit history's flexibility.
Scott A. Nichols, Mark J. Dayel, and Nicole King
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549429
- eISBN:
- 9780191721601
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549429.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics, Developmental Biology
Over 600 million years ago, the first multicellular metazoans evolved from their single celled ancestors. Although not recorded in the fossil record, the earliest events in metazoan evolution can be ...
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Over 600 million years ago, the first multicellular metazoans evolved from their single celled ancestors. Although not recorded in the fossil record, the earliest events in metazoan evolution can be inferred by integrating findings from phylogenetics, genomics, and cell biology. Comparisons of choanoflagellate — microeukaryote relatives of metazoans, with sponges (the earliest known metazoans) — reveal genetic innovations associated with metazoan origins. Among these are the evolution of gene families required for cell adhesion and cell signaling, the presence of which catalyzed the evolution of multicellularity and whose functions have since been elaborated to regulate cell differentiation, developmental patterning, morphogenesis, and the functional integration of tissues. The most ancient tissues — differentiated epithelia — are found in sponges and evolved before the origin and diversification of modern phyla.Less
Over 600 million years ago, the first multicellular metazoans evolved from their single celled ancestors. Although not recorded in the fossil record, the earliest events in metazoan evolution can be inferred by integrating findings from phylogenetics, genomics, and cell biology. Comparisons of choanoflagellate — microeukaryote relatives of metazoans, with sponges (the earliest known metazoans) — reveal genetic innovations associated with metazoan origins. Among these are the evolution of gene families required for cell adhesion and cell signaling, the presence of which catalyzed the evolution of multicellularity and whose functions have since been elaborated to regulate cell differentiation, developmental patterning, morphogenesis, and the functional integration of tissues. The most ancient tissues — differentiated epithelia — are found in sponges and evolved before the origin and diversification of modern phyla.
Véronique Dasen and Thomas Späth (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199582570
- eISBN:
- 9780191595271
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199582570.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This book discusses the transmission of social memory and social identities in elite and non-elite families. It provides definitions of the notion of individual and collective memory, and examines ...
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This book discusses the transmission of social memory and social identities in elite and non-elite families. It provides definitions of the notion of individual and collective memory, and examines the importance of children in the transmission of family tradition and values from the Republican period to the Late Roman world. It deals also with threats to familial memory, in terms of children deliberately or accidentally excluded from the family group. This collection of chapters reveals a multifaceted picture of the Roman family, based on the analysis of material, epigraphical, and literary evidence. The focus is on relationships and practices, rather than institutions, reflecting shifting concerns among a new generation of Roman family historians. Twenty-five years after the first Roman Family Conference, this fifth volume continues a tradition of innovation: it presents the latest approaches of American, Australian, and European research on Roman family history.Less
This book discusses the transmission of social memory and social identities in elite and non-elite families. It provides definitions of the notion of individual and collective memory, and examines the importance of children in the transmission of family tradition and values from the Republican period to the Late Roman world. It deals also with threats to familial memory, in terms of children deliberately or accidentally excluded from the family group. This collection of chapters reveals a multifaceted picture of the Roman family, based on the analysis of material, epigraphical, and literary evidence. The focus is on relationships and practices, rather than institutions, reflecting shifting concerns among a new generation of Roman family historians. Twenty-five years after the first Roman Family Conference, this fifth volume continues a tradition of innovation: it presents the latest approaches of American, Australian, and European research on Roman family history.
Mary Douglas
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199265237
- eISBN:
- 9780191602054
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199265232.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Focuses on the absence of ancestor cults in the Bible, and notes that the ground already covered in the book indicates that the priestly editors of the Pentateuch in the sixth and fifth centuries ...
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Focuses on the absence of ancestor cults in the Bible, and notes that the ground already covered in the book indicates that the priestly editors of the Pentateuch in the sixth and fifth centuries bce, and their interpretation of monotheism, make it unlikely that there would have been room for such an idea. Considers the limited role of the dead in biblical Israel in the context of the major advance that was monotheism, and asks whether Leviticus represents a Utopian religion or a real one that was actually practiced in the past, emphasizing the intellectual consistency of the Pentateuch in its uncompromising monotheism. The question is asked as to whether Israel ever had an ancestral cult, and the biblical evidence against such a cult is reviewed. The possible benefits of an ancestor cult in taking the blame are discussed, along with some alternative views to this (notably, the horror of death), and the possibility of the forcible suppression of ancestor cults as part of a centralizing government programme (here certain parallels are drawn with other cultures, and the cult of purgatory is discussed). Other ways in which cults of the dead can fade are discussed in the last part of the chapter; these include the secularizing effect of modernization, intergenerational tension, the character of the resource base in relation to the fate of ancestor cults (as illustrated by religious dynamism in the Calabari Delta of Nigeria), religious change instigated by changing regimes in which either the old or the young may become ascendant, and the position of eighth‐century Israel as having everything that would favour a revolt by the young – thus setting a trail for the priestly editors that had been laid centuries before, and embodied the central doctrine of monotheism.Less
Focuses on the absence of ancestor cults in the Bible, and notes that the ground already covered in the book indicates that the priestly editors of the Pentateuch in the sixth and fifth centuries bce, and their interpretation of monotheism, make it unlikely that there would have been room for such an idea. Considers the limited role of the dead in biblical Israel in the context of the major advance that was monotheism, and asks whether Leviticus represents a Utopian religion or a real one that was actually practiced in the past, emphasizing the intellectual consistency of the Pentateuch in its uncompromising monotheism. The question is asked as to whether Israel ever had an ancestral cult, and the biblical evidence against such a cult is reviewed. The possible benefits of an ancestor cult in taking the blame are discussed, along with some alternative views to this (notably, the horror of death), and the possibility of the forcible suppression of ancestor cults as part of a centralizing government programme (here certain parallels are drawn with other cultures, and the cult of purgatory is discussed). Other ways in which cults of the dead can fade are discussed in the last part of the chapter; these include the secularizing effect of modernization, intergenerational tension, the character of the resource base in relation to the fate of ancestor cults (as illustrated by religious dynamism in the Calabari Delta of Nigeria), religious change instigated by changing regimes in which either the old or the young may become ascendant, and the position of eighth‐century Israel as having everything that would favour a revolt by the young – thus setting a trail for the priestly editors that had been laid centuries before, and embodied the central doctrine of monotheism.
