Final answer:
To understand very early non-living human beings, one would engage in paleoanthropology, a field of study that utilizes fossil evidence to explore human ancestors and their evolutionary journey.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Early Non-Living Human Ancestors
If you wanted to understand very early, non-living human beings, you would likely engage in paleoanthropology. This field of study looks at the fossil evidence of humanity's ancestors, encompassing their physical morphology, use of tools, and other cultural artifacts. Paleoanthropology is a subdiscipline of biological anthropology that aims to answer questions about human evolution and the conditions that favored the emergence of certain traits within the human lineage.
Biological anthropology looks deep into the past to offer insights into our species' origins, evolution, and diversity. Specifically, paleoanthropologists focus on early hominins, studying their fossilized remains to chart human evolutionary progress. Unlike other forms of anthropology, paleoanthropology provides a window into our most distant past and helps unravel the story of human development long before historical records or living cultures can.