Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
FIVE : RELATIVISM
Citation preview
CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
FIVE RELATIVISM
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Basic idea of relativism
The world appears different to different people
Perceptions are concerned with the nature of the mind
the products of various individual experiences
change through learning
information processed often as result of prior
experience
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Different interpretations of Relativism
I____________________gt______________________I
People see reality This becomes basis for
differently amp operate misunderstanding and
according to different judging their worth
rules eg exotic customs
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
Herodotus Ancient Greek philosopher
exercised restraint about judging foreign customs
respected different customs however distasteful
more concerned with observing and reporting
Next thousand years Christian theology absolute
laws precluded neutrality towards different customs
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
The European Enlightenment
Importance of rational thought
Experience especially education molded the human mind Rousseaursquos (1751) suggestion education could transform apes into humans
Power of enculturation and adaptability of humans
BUT assumption Rationality was absolute amp desirable
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
19th Century Evolutionists
Cultural evolution is ever-increasing rationality
Rational thought as an absolute standard
Differences between societies due to degree of
mastery of rational thought
eg Tylor Animism Polytheism gt Monotheism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
IMMANUEL KANT
Major German philosopher
Critique of Pure Reason (1781)
Extent to which mind a
product of experience amp
learning
Certain concepts shared
space and time cause and
effect morality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
FRANZ BOAS Geographer
Influenced by Kant
ldquoCivilization is not something absolute buthelliprelative and our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goesrdquo (1887)
Cultural Relativism = attitude to comprehend other cultures
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Prior experience
Boas experienced life-threatening hypothermia on Arctic coast the Inuit saved his life
He had great respect for the Inuit as complex humans with immense knowledge of their difficult environment
Boas experienced personal racial ethnic discrimination
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo time Most people ethnocentric about less
developed people
Precise complete data essential for scientific
validity in Anthropology
Not just Family Organization Presence of tools
pottery BUT understanding meanings of these to
their creators
Need to understand thought amp emotion behind
observable behavior
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo ideas
Culture as extrasomatic non-Biological therefore Culture and Biology separate complementary fields
Language ndash profoundly different systems of logic challenged Latin amp Greek as model for all language
Archaeology important to study human past Independent study required as each human group has own history
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
American Anthropology as ldquo4 fieldrdquo discipline
Ethnology
Linguistics
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
4 fields distinct yet complementary
distinguished from sociology economics political science
different to developments in Britain and France
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Basic idea of relativism
The world appears different to different people
Perceptions are concerned with the nature of the mind
the products of various individual experiences
change through learning
information processed often as result of prior
experience
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Different interpretations of Relativism
I____________________gt______________________I
People see reality This becomes basis for
differently amp operate misunderstanding and
according to different judging their worth
rules eg exotic customs
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
Herodotus Ancient Greek philosopher
exercised restraint about judging foreign customs
respected different customs however distasteful
more concerned with observing and reporting
Next thousand years Christian theology absolute
laws precluded neutrality towards different customs
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
The European Enlightenment
Importance of rational thought
Experience especially education molded the human mind Rousseaursquos (1751) suggestion education could transform apes into humans
Power of enculturation and adaptability of humans
BUT assumption Rationality was absolute amp desirable
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
19th Century Evolutionists
Cultural evolution is ever-increasing rationality
Rational thought as an absolute standard
Differences between societies due to degree of
mastery of rational thought
eg Tylor Animism Polytheism gt Monotheism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
IMMANUEL KANT
Major German philosopher
Critique of Pure Reason (1781)
Extent to which mind a
product of experience amp
learning
Certain concepts shared
space and time cause and
effect morality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
FRANZ BOAS Geographer
Influenced by Kant
ldquoCivilization is not something absolute buthelliprelative and our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goesrdquo (1887)
Cultural Relativism = attitude to comprehend other cultures
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Prior experience
Boas experienced life-threatening hypothermia on Arctic coast the Inuit saved his life
He had great respect for the Inuit as complex humans with immense knowledge of their difficult environment
Boas experienced personal racial ethnic discrimination
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo time Most people ethnocentric about less
developed people
Precise complete data essential for scientific
validity in Anthropology
Not just Family Organization Presence of tools
pottery BUT understanding meanings of these to
their creators
Need to understand thought amp emotion behind
observable behavior
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo ideas
Culture as extrasomatic non-Biological therefore Culture and Biology separate complementary fields
Language ndash profoundly different systems of logic challenged Latin amp Greek as model for all language
Archaeology important to study human past Independent study required as each human group has own history
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
American Anthropology as ldquo4 fieldrdquo discipline
Ethnology
Linguistics
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
4 fields distinct yet complementary
distinguished from sociology economics political science
different to developments in Britain and France
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Different interpretations of Relativism
I____________________gt______________________I
People see reality This becomes basis for
differently amp operate misunderstanding and
according to different judging their worth
rules eg exotic customs
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
Herodotus Ancient Greek philosopher
exercised restraint about judging foreign customs
respected different customs however distasteful
more concerned with observing and reporting
Next thousand years Christian theology absolute
laws precluded neutrality towards different customs
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
The European Enlightenment
Importance of rational thought
Experience especially education molded the human mind Rousseaursquos (1751) suggestion education could transform apes into humans
Power of enculturation and adaptability of humans
BUT assumption Rationality was absolute amp desirable
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
19th Century Evolutionists
Cultural evolution is ever-increasing rationality
Rational thought as an absolute standard
Differences between societies due to degree of
mastery of rational thought
eg Tylor Animism Polytheism gt Monotheism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
IMMANUEL KANT
Major German philosopher
Critique of Pure Reason (1781)
Extent to which mind a
product of experience amp
learning
Certain concepts shared
space and time cause and
effect morality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
FRANZ BOAS Geographer
Influenced by Kant
ldquoCivilization is not something absolute buthelliprelative and our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goesrdquo (1887)
Cultural Relativism = attitude to comprehend other cultures
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Prior experience
Boas experienced life-threatening hypothermia on Arctic coast the Inuit saved his life
He had great respect for the Inuit as complex humans with immense knowledge of their difficult environment
Boas experienced personal racial ethnic discrimination
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo time Most people ethnocentric about less
developed people
Precise complete data essential for scientific
validity in Anthropology
Not just Family Organization Presence of tools
pottery BUT understanding meanings of these to
their creators
Need to understand thought amp emotion behind
observable behavior
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo ideas
Culture as extrasomatic non-Biological therefore Culture and Biology separate complementary fields
Language ndash profoundly different systems of logic challenged Latin amp Greek as model for all language
Archaeology important to study human past Independent study required as each human group has own history
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
American Anthropology as ldquo4 fieldrdquo discipline
Ethnology
Linguistics
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
4 fields distinct yet complementary
distinguished from sociology economics political science
different to developments in Britain and France
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
Herodotus Ancient Greek philosopher
exercised restraint about judging foreign customs
respected different customs however distasteful
more concerned with observing and reporting
Next thousand years Christian theology absolute
laws precluded neutrality towards different customs
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
The European Enlightenment
Importance of rational thought
Experience especially education molded the human mind Rousseaursquos (1751) suggestion education could transform apes into humans
Power of enculturation and adaptability of humans
BUT assumption Rationality was absolute amp desirable
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
19th Century Evolutionists
Cultural evolution is ever-increasing rationality
Rational thought as an absolute standard
Differences between societies due to degree of
mastery of rational thought
eg Tylor Animism Polytheism gt Monotheism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
IMMANUEL KANT
Major German philosopher
Critique of Pure Reason (1781)
Extent to which mind a
product of experience amp
learning
Certain concepts shared
space and time cause and
effect morality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
FRANZ BOAS Geographer
Influenced by Kant
ldquoCivilization is not something absolute buthelliprelative and our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goesrdquo (1887)
Cultural Relativism = attitude to comprehend other cultures
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Prior experience
Boas experienced life-threatening hypothermia on Arctic coast the Inuit saved his life
He had great respect for the Inuit as complex humans with immense knowledge of their difficult environment
Boas experienced personal racial ethnic discrimination
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo time Most people ethnocentric about less
developed people
Precise complete data essential for scientific
validity in Anthropology
Not just Family Organization Presence of tools
pottery BUT understanding meanings of these to
their creators
Need to understand thought amp emotion behind
observable behavior
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo ideas
Culture as extrasomatic non-Biological therefore Culture and Biology separate complementary fields
Language ndash profoundly different systems of logic challenged Latin amp Greek as model for all language
Archaeology important to study human past Independent study required as each human group has own history
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
American Anthropology as ldquo4 fieldrdquo discipline
Ethnology
Linguistics
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
4 fields distinct yet complementary
distinguished from sociology economics political science
different to developments in Britain and France
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
The European Enlightenment
Importance of rational thought
Experience especially education molded the human mind Rousseaursquos (1751) suggestion education could transform apes into humans
Power of enculturation and adaptability of humans
BUT assumption Rationality was absolute amp desirable
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
19th Century Evolutionists
Cultural evolution is ever-increasing rationality
Rational thought as an absolute standard
Differences between societies due to degree of
mastery of rational thought
eg Tylor Animism Polytheism gt Monotheism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
IMMANUEL KANT
Major German philosopher
Critique of Pure Reason (1781)
Extent to which mind a
product of experience amp
learning
Certain concepts shared
space and time cause and
effect morality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
FRANZ BOAS Geographer
Influenced by Kant
ldquoCivilization is not something absolute buthelliprelative and our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goesrdquo (1887)
Cultural Relativism = attitude to comprehend other cultures
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Prior experience
Boas experienced life-threatening hypothermia on Arctic coast the Inuit saved his life
He had great respect for the Inuit as complex humans with immense knowledge of their difficult environment
Boas experienced personal racial ethnic discrimination
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo time Most people ethnocentric about less
developed people
Precise complete data essential for scientific
validity in Anthropology
Not just Family Organization Presence of tools
pottery BUT understanding meanings of these to
their creators
Need to understand thought amp emotion behind
observable behavior
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo ideas
Culture as extrasomatic non-Biological therefore Culture and Biology separate complementary fields
Language ndash profoundly different systems of logic challenged Latin amp Greek as model for all language
Archaeology important to study human past Independent study required as each human group has own history
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
American Anthropology as ldquo4 fieldrdquo discipline
Ethnology
Linguistics
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
4 fields distinct yet complementary
distinguished from sociology economics political science
different to developments in Britain and France
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Historical Overview
19th Century Evolutionists
Cultural evolution is ever-increasing rationality
Rational thought as an absolute standard
Differences between societies due to degree of
mastery of rational thought
eg Tylor Animism Polytheism gt Monotheism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
IMMANUEL KANT
Major German philosopher
Critique of Pure Reason (1781)
Extent to which mind a
product of experience amp
learning
Certain concepts shared
space and time cause and
effect morality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
FRANZ BOAS Geographer
Influenced by Kant
ldquoCivilization is not something absolute buthelliprelative and our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goesrdquo (1887)
Cultural Relativism = attitude to comprehend other cultures
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Prior experience
Boas experienced life-threatening hypothermia on Arctic coast the Inuit saved his life
He had great respect for the Inuit as complex humans with immense knowledge of their difficult environment
Boas experienced personal racial ethnic discrimination
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo time Most people ethnocentric about less
developed people
Precise complete data essential for scientific
validity in Anthropology
Not just Family Organization Presence of tools
pottery BUT understanding meanings of these to
their creators
Need to understand thought amp emotion behind
observable behavior
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo ideas
Culture as extrasomatic non-Biological therefore Culture and Biology separate complementary fields
Language ndash profoundly different systems of logic challenged Latin amp Greek as model for all language
Archaeology important to study human past Independent study required as each human group has own history
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
American Anthropology as ldquo4 fieldrdquo discipline
Ethnology
Linguistics
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
4 fields distinct yet complementary
distinguished from sociology economics political science
different to developments in Britain and France
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
IMMANUEL KANT
Major German philosopher
Critique of Pure Reason (1781)
Extent to which mind a
product of experience amp
learning
Certain concepts shared
space and time cause and
effect morality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
FRANZ BOAS Geographer
Influenced by Kant
ldquoCivilization is not something absolute buthelliprelative and our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goesrdquo (1887)
Cultural Relativism = attitude to comprehend other cultures
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Prior experience
Boas experienced life-threatening hypothermia on Arctic coast the Inuit saved his life
He had great respect for the Inuit as complex humans with immense knowledge of their difficult environment
Boas experienced personal racial ethnic discrimination
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo time Most people ethnocentric about less
developed people
Precise complete data essential for scientific
validity in Anthropology
Not just Family Organization Presence of tools
pottery BUT understanding meanings of these to
their creators
Need to understand thought amp emotion behind
observable behavior
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo ideas
Culture as extrasomatic non-Biological therefore Culture and Biology separate complementary fields
Language ndash profoundly different systems of logic challenged Latin amp Greek as model for all language
Archaeology important to study human past Independent study required as each human group has own history
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
American Anthropology as ldquo4 fieldrdquo discipline
Ethnology
Linguistics
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
4 fields distinct yet complementary
distinguished from sociology economics political science
different to developments in Britain and France
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
FRANZ BOAS Geographer
Influenced by Kant
ldquoCivilization is not something absolute buthelliprelative and our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goesrdquo (1887)
Cultural Relativism = attitude to comprehend other cultures
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Prior experience
Boas experienced life-threatening hypothermia on Arctic coast the Inuit saved his life
He had great respect for the Inuit as complex humans with immense knowledge of their difficult environment
Boas experienced personal racial ethnic discrimination
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo time Most people ethnocentric about less
developed people
Precise complete data essential for scientific
validity in Anthropology
Not just Family Organization Presence of tools
pottery BUT understanding meanings of these to
their creators
Need to understand thought amp emotion behind
observable behavior
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo ideas
Culture as extrasomatic non-Biological therefore Culture and Biology separate complementary fields
Language ndash profoundly different systems of logic challenged Latin amp Greek as model for all language
Archaeology important to study human past Independent study required as each human group has own history
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
American Anthropology as ldquo4 fieldrdquo discipline
Ethnology
Linguistics
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
4 fields distinct yet complementary
distinguished from sociology economics political science
different to developments in Britain and France
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Prior experience
Boas experienced life-threatening hypothermia on Arctic coast the Inuit saved his life
He had great respect for the Inuit as complex humans with immense knowledge of their difficult environment
Boas experienced personal racial ethnic discrimination
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo time Most people ethnocentric about less
developed people
Precise complete data essential for scientific
validity in Anthropology
Not just Family Organization Presence of tools
pottery BUT understanding meanings of these to
their creators
Need to understand thought amp emotion behind
observable behavior
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo ideas
Culture as extrasomatic non-Biological therefore Culture and Biology separate complementary fields
Language ndash profoundly different systems of logic challenged Latin amp Greek as model for all language
Archaeology important to study human past Independent study required as each human group has own history
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
American Anthropology as ldquo4 fieldrdquo discipline
Ethnology
Linguistics
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
4 fields distinct yet complementary
distinguished from sociology economics political science
different to developments in Britain and France
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo time Most people ethnocentric about less
developed people
Precise complete data essential for scientific
validity in Anthropology
Not just Family Organization Presence of tools
pottery BUT understanding meanings of these to
their creators
Need to understand thought amp emotion behind
observable behavior
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo ideas
Culture as extrasomatic non-Biological therefore Culture and Biology separate complementary fields
Language ndash profoundly different systems of logic challenged Latin amp Greek as model for all language
Archaeology important to study human past Independent study required as each human group has own history
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
American Anthropology as ldquo4 fieldrdquo discipline
Ethnology
Linguistics
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
4 fields distinct yet complementary
distinguished from sociology economics political science
different to developments in Britain and France
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Boasrsquo ideas
Culture as extrasomatic non-Biological therefore Culture and Biology separate complementary fields
Language ndash profoundly different systems of logic challenged Latin amp Greek as model for all language
Archaeology important to study human past Independent study required as each human group has own history
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
American Anthropology as ldquo4 fieldrdquo discipline
Ethnology
Linguistics
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
4 fields distinct yet complementary
distinguished from sociology economics political science
different to developments in Britain and France
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
American Anthropology as ldquo4 fieldrdquo discipline
Ethnology
Linguistics
Physical Anthropology
Archaeology
4 fields distinct yet complementary
distinguished from sociology economics political science
different to developments in Britain and France
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Notion of Relativism An aspect of the wider intellectual climate of late 19th ndash
early 20th Century
Intellectual energies challenged Absolutist assumptions of
the nature of reality and
conventional perceptions of reality
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
SCIENCE
Einstein Relativity showing Time
affected by Speed
ART
Post-Impressionists eg Gauguin
Renunciation of Artistic Realism
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Key aspects of Cultural Relativism in Anthropology
Objective scientific enquiry separates value judgments from observation
Anthropologistrsquos aim Observe record understand
Emotional response based on cultural and personal experience distorts understanding
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM Misunderstanding of Cultural Relativism
Premise every practice or custom irrespective of
cruelty or injustice is ldquogoodrdquo
Absurd assumption
Contradiction because it amounts to a value judgment
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
The Cultural Relativism Dilemma
Prescribed observation of other cultures but emphasis
on the uniqueness of each cultural system meant
cultures could not be compared
Serious problem for developing anthropology as a
science which requires generalizations or laws that
apply to more than one case ie the comparative
method
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
RUTH BENEDICT
Student of Boas
Patterns of Culture (1932)
Rejection of scientific
comparison
Contrasts 4 different groups
-internal consistencies and
minds of individuals
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
KEY CONCEPT FIVE RELATIVISM
Further Questions for Cultural Relativism
Can humans in different communities understand one
another at a deep level even with long mutual
collaboration
Do some issues eg those involving human rights
transcend cultural boundaries
Are some versions of reality more accurate than others
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
References
Benedict R (1943) Patterns of Culture New York
Houghton Mifflin 1934
Kant I Critique of Pure Reason (1998 orig 1781)
Ed Paul Guyer and Allen W Wood Cambridge
Cambridge UP
Perry RJ (2003) Five Concepts in Anthropological
Thinking Upper Saddle River NJ Prentice-Hall
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
Conclusion of Relativism thank you
