Thoughts on The Journey of Man
Normally, while watching a documentary, I find myself thinking of other things I could be doing or setting my gaze on the ticking clock on the wall. However, The Journey of Man completely grabbed my attention. While I knew some of the basic facts of the history of man (such as the fact that we all came from Africa), a lot of the information given was completely foreign to me. I had no idea Australia was our next stop in that significant journey, and I find it fascinating that the "journey of man" can be traced to one man in an isolated tribe of people in the middle of India. The fact that the makers of this documentary made this journey to get this piece of information makes the story all the more interesting.
It is through documentaries like this that we see science in its finest forms. While many people dwell on the negative effects science has on society and nature, it is important for them to remember what science has done for us as well. The idea that a single drop of DNA can tell a story that is so significant to our history all stems from science. Without science and its advancements, we would know very little about our ancestors, their origins and their journeys abroad.
In addition, it takes special individuals with a lot of motivation to go out and seek to discover what actually happened to our ancestors so long ago. Spencer Wells, while a bit corny at times, does an incredible job explaining his purpose in exploration and then seeking it out as we look on. It is a combination of intellectual, highly motivated individuals along with scientific advancement that bring us the knowledge of our ancestry that we have today.
posted by Amanda P at 11:17 AM
3 Comments:
As I was watching the documentary, I realized just how much time, effort, and money goes into a research project of this scale. I mean, in order to move from tribe to tribe, Wells and his fellow researchers had to drive/trek hundreds of miles at a time. They also had to sample and examine well over 400 blood samples, a tedious and often infuriating process. In a project like this, the consequences of failing (not finding what you were looking for) are immense. I'm just not sure I would be able to invest so much in something so uncertain, but I guess that's just the nature of science and research. Risks must be taken to move ahead.
I think it is interesting and useful to research and discover where we all come from. The one thing I didn't like about Spencer Well's legitimation of research is that he seemed to invest more stock in scientific research over oral tradition. It seems like oral tradition would be a pretty reliable becuase the evidence is coming right from the horse's mouth so to speak. Well's seems to value scientific research becuase it is the "european way of doing things" and I did not like that.
I was also fascinated by the thought of how much time it must have taken for Spencer Wells' to complete this infamous journey of man. However, I do agree with Kristian that Wells' could have taken the oral tradition of humankind into consideration when retracing the steps of our supposed descendants. There is much that science can explain however, it is important we pay close attention to the facts that may be given to us through the cultural traditions of man that walked before us.
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