Humans possess a repertoire of unique gifts which enable them to shape the
environment. The most prominent gifts associated with man include adaptation,
which is furthermore broken into sub-categories, the conquering of fire, and the
ability to foresee thoughts of the future. All of these capabilities of man have
had a significant effect on the environment. These main gifts correlated with
man are the basis to our physical and cultural evolution. Man is a singular
creature which maintains a unique set of gifts for shaping the environment. The
most significant of these gifts, adaptation, covers a broad area of topics.
Stereoscopic vision, opposable thumbs, the formation of language, and the
ability to walk upright all are branched off of this. These components of
adaptation are all of great importance to man’s set of unique gifts. Man has
the ability to adapt to certain environments and conditions. If the weather
became cold man would not just sit around and freeze, but rather build a fire,
cover up in animal skins, and retreat to the caves. By doing this man is
changing the surroundings and conditions to adequately supply his needs. Without
this gift humans would not have survived; nature would have conquered and
annihilated them. As man evolved and became more human-like, three major
biological developments took place which set man above animal. Stereoscopic
vision, opposable thumbs, and the ability to walk upright were the most
significant evolutionary advancements which put man atop animal. These three
gifts also added to the ability to shape the environment. Stereoscopic vision
involves taking two pictures, one from each eye, and forming them into a three
dimensional viewing area. This advancement to man gave humans several
environmental advantages over the animals. Stereoscopic vision allows man to see
more in depth images. This proved useful in hunting, walking, and other simple
concepts. This major evolutionary change has had a great effect on the
environment and its surroundings. Opposable thumbs made life much easier for
early humans. The opposable thumbs allowed man to grip with a powerful hold,
which led to the development and use of early tools. They also aided in hunting,
because spears, rocks, and axes were easily able to be thrown. By using this
technique of hunting less injury occurred, which prolonged the life of humans.
As cultural advancements followed, the opposable thumb proved quite useful in
the building of fire and shelter. The environment was affected greatly by this
because tools, fire, and hunting were able to be used where they were not
before. The ability to walk upright held a definite edge over animals and the
environment. As man began to walk upright, everything became easier. He could
see farther into the distance, and know when danger was near, and man had more
versatile movements, which aided in hunting. The environment was easily shaped
by upright walking because now had the ability to do more activities, such as
seeing danger and fleeing to safety, where as before he would have been killed.
Language is also another gift which man possesses. Language was developed
through hunting because it was needed for communication. It was also used to
express feelings and distress. Language allowed man to communicate when danger
was near, and man escaped some danger because of this. Another significant gift
man acquired was the conquering of fire. Fire was brought upon by natural
reasons, such as volcanoes and lightning. Humans used fire for warmth,
protection, cooking, and a light source. Cooked meat contained more proteins
than raw meat, and these proteins caused the brain to grow, thus speeding up
mans evolutionary process. Cooked meat was also easier to chew, so the jaw
became smaller and language slowly developed. Fire helped man outlast nature’s
coldest weather, and it also prolonged their life by protecting them from
animals. The last of man’s major gifts was the ability to foresee thoughts of
the future. Man anticipated the future by drawing pictures of the hunt on the
cave walls. He foresaw the domestication and herding of animals, as the Lapps
did with the Reindeer, and man saw the use of rocks for tools and expanded on
that. This type of reasoning and thinking was unique to humans, and through it
man greatly changed the environment; either through subtle ways, as with tools,
or in the upmost way, as with the domestication and herding of animals. Since
the beginnings of time humans have used a set of unique gifts to shape and
configure the landscape and environment which surrounds them. These gifts,
adaptation, the conquering of fire, and the ability to foresee thoughts of
future, were essential to man and allowed him to shape the environment. These
gifts were the basis to our cultural and physical evolution, and they provided a
sturdy base for the beginning of man.