Modern Human Behavior
There is considerable debate regarding whether the earliest anatomically modern humans behaved similarly to recent or existing humans. Modern human behaviors characteristic of recent humans include fully modern language, the capacity for abstract thought and the use of symbolism to express cultural creativity. There are two opposing hypotheses regarding the origins of modern behavior. Some scholars argue that humans achieved anatomical modernity first, around 200kya, and only later did they adopt modern behaviors around 50kya. This hypothesis is based on the limited record of fossils from periods before 50kya and the abundance of human artifacts found after 50kya. Proponents of this view distinguish "anatomically modern humans" from "behaviorally modern humans".
The opposing view is that humans achieved anatomical and behavioral modernity simultaneously. For example, proponents of this view argue that humans had evolved a lightly built skeleton during the transition to anatomical modernity, and this could have only occurred through increased human cooperation and the increased use of technology, traits characteristic of modern behavior.
Read more about this topic: Anatomically Modern Humans
Famous quotes containing the words modern, human and/or behavior:
“The opera isn’t over till the fat lady sings.”
—Anonymous.
A modern proverb along the lines of “don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.” This form of words has no precise origin, though both Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (16th ed., 1992)
“There is a passion for hunting something deeply implanted in the human breast.”
—Charles Dickens (1812–1870)
“The type of fig leaf which each culture employs to cover its social taboos offers a twofold description of its morality. It reveals that certain unacknowledged behavior exists and it suggests the form that such behavior takes.”
—Freda Adler (b. 1934)