'Megger’s Article Response Essay\r'

'Betty J. Meggers article, Environmental Limitation on the Development of Culture, examines how surroundal habitats directly run into and influence burnish. Meggers discusses the differing environmental types and its resulting effect on the people and their ethnical development. Her theoretical mannikin is grounded on the idea that the relationship among culture and its environment is not lonesome(prenominal) based in terms of subsistence (802), simply largely to a culture’s experience with dissemination (822). Diffusion tin can best be defined as a process in which a ethnic trait, idea, or behavior is deal out from one society to another.\r\nWhile she does cogitate that the sexual intercourse strength or weakness of an environment to provide a worthy message for food production affects the modification and advancement of a culture, she also believes that cultural diffusion plays a vital usance as well. According to Meggers, the general mental picture is that environmental potentialityity is the sole conditioner of cultural development (801). The span of environmental habitats into classify into 4 environmental types, ranging from causa 1 environments, which have the least rustic potential, to eccentric person 4 environments, which have un limited agricultural potential.\r\nMeggers does generally count to agree that the environmental type can set limitations on the level of development a culture is able to obtain (816). Because Type 1 environments have the least agricultural potential, tribes moldiness subsist mainly by hunting, fishing, and gathering. Cultures that lodge in Type 1 environments are relatively small in world size and tend to lead much of a nomadic lifestyle, a requirement part of life because they must continually follow their food source.\r\nAs a result, their existence is noticeably simplistic because their firsthand focus is on satisfying completely their very basic needs such as shelter and food. This typ e of environment results in a culture where brotherly organization and technology is very limited in scope. The nomadic lifestyle necessitates that tribes stay on relatively small, therefore making the star family the basic neighborly unit. Additionally, technology body limited to only the most essential tools and utensils due to the limited resources available.\r\nAccording to Meggers, Type 1 and Type 2 environments seem to prohibit cultural advancement because of the limitations enforce on a culture by the environment and the general lack of a suitable source of diffusion. Conversely, Type 4 environments have unlimited agricultural potential because they possess all the ideal conditions requirement for sustaining agriculture. Meggers calls Type 4 environments the â€Å"cradles of civilization” (804) because of their expertness to develop and implement the technology necessity to sustain an agriculturally based lifestyle.\r\nType 4 environments are typified by their complex social organization and cultural advancements. Meggers states that Type 4 civilizations are elaborate due to their intensive production of food and the necessary means of distribution. However, Meggers also believes that success of Type 3 and Type 4 environments to advance culturally is also heavily influenced by diffusion across cultures, or a cultures relative exposure and adoption of differing cultural norms, beliefs, and behaviors.\r\n'