What are the benefits for humankind in anthropology research?

Question

I know this may sound like a dumb question (but still no dumb answers PLEASE!) why is it important to find out how we are related to neandertals or other past groups? How does this affect the lives of us today or in the future. Thanks.

Answer 1

more than anything, it helps us answer the mysteries of human evolution (i.e. how humans/hominids adapt to different conditions). In the future, it would help us learn about adaptation if some natural event happens in the future.

On an archaeological level, bio-anthropology helps us understand the rise and fall of societies; illneses, disasters, environmetal impacts, vegetation, foods, that help understand the history of a region, and then use all that knowledge to build stronger societies in the future.

On a social level, understanding the links, or non-links with species of the past can help us refute conceptions like "survival of the fittest", the concept of racial superiority--or even race itself. That is done through bio-anthropological research. The boring part is that you have to start with the basics: hominids==>apes==>humans. You gotta learn to crawl before you learn to walk.

Answer 2

It is important for us to know where we come from so we can see where we are going to.  I don't think evolution has finished with us, and if we did evolve from a previous species, then we must still be evolving. Studying previous groups shows us what we can improve upon in our lives.

To add to that, anthropology is not just the study of neandertals or the past, we study humans and their cultures.  We find empirical data on humans and study them in their natural environment.  By studying other cultures this gives us a better understanding of the world around us.  Anthropology seems to be the discipline that many people don't understand and don't realize that it's more important in your lives than you think

Answer 3

By understanding where we come from (and where species similar to ours came from) we can understand better where we are going.

In the case of neanderthals, we have a more pressing reason to know- they were very like us, but went extinct...

Therefore, we know we could go exinct, and by understanding how species similiar to our own went extinct, we can try to not go extinct.