I need help with a Social Science question. All explanations and answers will be used to help me learn.

Earlier we used the term Paradigm. Two Paradigms that have a strong role in our culture and affect our assumptions, about people, life, scientific processes and particularly evolution are the paradigms of The Great Chain of Being and Essentialism. It is important for us to be aware of the impact of these paradigms in our perceptions of the world. By becoming aware we are able to begin the process of shifting our paradigm.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7202153@N03/65853139… https://www.flickr.com/photos/93416311@N00/2958714113https://www.ted.com/talks/manuel_lima_a_visual_history_of_human_knowledge/transcript

Watch this scientist talk about the way that these ideas or ideologies mislead scientists and how the work of science actually helps lead us away from our wrong way of thinking towards newer insights, like the networking imagery discussed in the Ted talk.

Scientist, Ernst Mayr discusses ESSENTIALISM in this video – Link

The “Great Chain of Being” or Scala Naturae, has affected the way we have thought about our relationship with nature, for a very long time. Many early scientists were unable to understand nature because of this notion that all of nature forms a hierarchy with God and the saints and angels followed by mankind at the top of the scale and all the lowly creatures and plants and insects below us.

We understand today that this kind of thinking is backward. It doesn’t have a place in the study of nature.

** Share ways that you know the Great Chain of Being paradigm has affected your thinking. –

What are some assumptions you make about life and other organisms that shows the impact of this view on your worldview?

Then share your answer to the question

– How would you rethink this? If we accept that the Great Chain of Being is a paradigm that interferes with our ability to examine nature effectively as scientists have confirmed for us, how can we change, or shift our paradigm?

for ex. -Germs are low on the scale according to the Great Chain of Being Paradigm but in fact, we have learned that they are very powerful they have wiped out populations! So we now see how not focussing on the power of the”lowly” germ would interfere with our true understanding of the causes of illnesses. Do not reuse this example. Find your own example of how to shift this paradigm.

OR

think about Essentialism – define it and then give an example of how it colors your thinking. It is important to understand the impact of essentialism because it interferes in our understanding of evolution.

We have the misconception that evolution happens for a reason and is headed towards the best form or towards a goal, and this simply is not so.

So What are some assumptions you make about life and other organisms that shows the impact of this view on your worldview? How would you rethink this? If we accept that the idea of essentialism is a paradigm that interferes with our ability to examine nature effectively as scientists have confirmed for us, how can we change, or shift our paradigm? we may think that we were meant to look as we do today as homo sapiens, but when we study the fossil record we see that there were environmental conditions that affected how organisms survived and which features hung on and which changed.

And environmental conditions are changing all the time.

There is no end to evolution there is always more change.

We are not the final goal. It is random there is no goal.