EBH Exam 4

Demography

statistical study of human populations. Analyzes size, structure, distribution, and the core components of change: fertility, mortality, and migration.

demographic transition

a socio-economic model describing how human populations shift from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates.

despotic society

absolute power concentrated in a ruling elite, characterized by high dominance hierarchies, severe resource inequality, and enforced compliance.

egalitarian society

a social structure founded on the belief that all individuals are equal in fundamental worth, moral status, and access to resources.

Gini coefficient

statistical measure of inequality, primarily used to calculate the uneven distribution of income or wealth within a population. Ranges from 0 to 1, 0 being perfect equality, 1 being perfect inequality.

maladaptation

a trait or behavior that was once advantageous for survival but has become more harmful than helpful due to a shifting environment.

maternal rank inheritance

the social process where offspring (specifically females in many species) acquire a dominance rank just below or identical to their mother’s social position.

paradox of human inequality

the contradiction between our innate evolutionary drive for social equality and the persistent, often structural, emergence of hierarchies. Humans possess instincts for fairness and equal sharing, yet societies reliably produce steep economic and social stratification.

prestige-biased transmission

a social learning mechanism where individuals preferentially copy the behaviors, beliefs, and skills of others who are highly respected, admired, or frequently attended to within a group.

types of wealth

Embodied wealth - primary driver of survival, encompasses physical health, strength, hunting/foraging skills, and cognitive intelligence.

Material wealth - land, tools, livestock. Behavior shifted toward guarding and accumulating physical resources.

Relational Wealth - Crucial in all human societies. Relies on social networks, trust, and alliances. Sharing food and forming reciprocal bonds meant the difference between life and death during times of scarcity.

universality of emotions

the concept that certain core emotional states and their corresponding facial and bodily expressions are biologically innate, automatically triggered, and recognized across all human cultures.

moralistic fallacy

the logical error of assuming that the way things should be determine the way things actually are in nature.

naturalistic fallacy

the error of claiming that because a trait or behavior evolved to promote survival, it is therefore ethically justified.