Thursday, September 5, 2019
Anthro - Lecture 1
Explanations of the Human Condition:
- Determinism: the Philosophical view that one simple force (or a few) causes or
determines complex events
- Dualism: the view that reality consists of two equal and irreducible forces
- Idealism: the view that pure, incorruptible ideas, or the mind that produces such
idea constitute the essence of human nature.
- Materialism: emphasizes the actions of the physical body in the material world
- Holism: assumes that mind and body, person and society, humans and their
environment interpenetrate and de ne one another
- Culture: learned behaviours and ideas acquired by humans as members of society
- Co-evolution: emphasizes the mutual evolution of biology, culture and environment.
Anthropological Perspective: The Cross Disciplinary Discipline
• Anthropology is comparative in that it views humans across time and space
• Anthropology is evolutionary in that it includes the view of co-evolution, and the
relationship between biological and symbolic process.
• Anthropological
study involves:
1. Gathering data
from many
cultures, both
past and
present
2. Comparing
that data to
derive
1
fi
, Thursday, September 5, 2019
informed and testable hypothesis about what it means to be human
3. Investigating what can be said about the human condition that might be valid
across space and time
Branches of Anthro concept:
Biological Anthropology:
• Focuses on human beings as living organisms
• Includes paleoanthropology, human biology and variation and primatology
Archaeology:
• Focuses on past ways of life
Linguistic Anthropology:
• Focuses on language and the relationship between language and identity and laugh
within subcultures
Cultural Anthropology:
• Focuses on present day societies (ethnography and ethnology)
• Examines topics like globalization, gender and sexuality, transnational labor
migration, urbanization, communication technology, cyber culture, etc.
• Uses the extended eldwork method: researches gather information from people they
encounter in the eld who are variously called informants, participants, consultants,
teachers, etc.
Applied Anthropology:
• Focuses on the application of anthropological theories and methods to the solution
of everyday problems
2
fi fi
Anthro - Lecture 1
Explanations of the Human Condition:
- Determinism: the Philosophical view that one simple force (or a few) causes or
determines complex events
- Dualism: the view that reality consists of two equal and irreducible forces
- Idealism: the view that pure, incorruptible ideas, or the mind that produces such
idea constitute the essence of human nature.
- Materialism: emphasizes the actions of the physical body in the material world
- Holism: assumes that mind and body, person and society, humans and their
environment interpenetrate and de ne one another
- Culture: learned behaviours and ideas acquired by humans as members of society
- Co-evolution: emphasizes the mutual evolution of biology, culture and environment.
Anthropological Perspective: The Cross Disciplinary Discipline
• Anthropology is comparative in that it views humans across time and space
• Anthropology is evolutionary in that it includes the view of co-evolution, and the
relationship between biological and symbolic process.
• Anthropological
study involves:
1. Gathering data
from many
cultures, both
past and
present
2. Comparing
that data to
derive
1
fi
, Thursday, September 5, 2019
informed and testable hypothesis about what it means to be human
3. Investigating what can be said about the human condition that might be valid
across space and time
Branches of Anthro concept:
Biological Anthropology:
• Focuses on human beings as living organisms
• Includes paleoanthropology, human biology and variation and primatology
Archaeology:
• Focuses on past ways of life
Linguistic Anthropology:
• Focuses on language and the relationship between language and identity and laugh
within subcultures
Cultural Anthropology:
• Focuses on present day societies (ethnography and ethnology)
• Examines topics like globalization, gender and sexuality, transnational labor
migration, urbanization, communication technology, cyber culture, etc.
• Uses the extended eldwork method: researches gather information from people they
encounter in the eld who are variously called informants, participants, consultants,
teachers, etc.
Applied Anthropology:
• Focuses on the application of anthropological theories and methods to the solution
of everyday problems
2
fi fi
