Anthropology 3311 – Week 2 – Discussion One Chapter 3 Fieldwork
“Anthropology is a science and has the tools to understand science as a form of culture” (Schultz and Lavenda 2014, p. 47)
I think this quote is the central reading for this week that stands out to me. I believe that anthropology as a science has the capacity to increase our understanding. Science as a form of culture presents the possibility of a developing a common language that may eventually obliterate the importance of many important languages and cultures that exist today. Even though anthropology is an older form of science, it has greatly evolved over the years. For the most part, anthropology remains the same now as when it was originally created. When anthropology began to take on its own identity as an intellectual discipline during the nineteen centuries, it aspired to be scientific. (Schultz and Lavenda 2014, p. 47)
Science is defined as the behavior of the physical and natural through observation, identification, description, experimental investigation and hypothetical explanation of natural phenomena. This definition gives summarizes what science is and how it makes up the branches of knowledge, which are theoretical, natural, physical, biological and applied aspects as well.
The positivism approach is the view that there is a reality “out there” that can be known through the senses and that there is a single, appropriate set of scientific methods for investigating that reality. (Schultz and Lavenda 2014, p, 47) The positivism approach is a tradition method of physical science, is greatly used today. The positivism approach is a way of understanding based on science. Positivism within anthropology is commonly criticized by modern cultural anthropologists. It refers to a scientific mindset of anthropology, and the idea that theology and ancient ways of thinking should be unmasked and explained. This can be done by finding objective cross-cultural universals in human existence. There is reoccurring division within anthropological societies over whether to favor a more scientific, quasi-
positivist style of inquiry associated with physical anthropology, or a more descriptive humanistic style.
On the other hand, anthology is the branch of knowledge that focuses on the human, which includes observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and culture
Linguistic anthropology is also branch where the focus is regards to verbal issues of different societies and cultures.
A third branch is physical or biological anthropology where the focus is about biological issues dealing with man and mankind. The range is very wide, and it deals with all areas of biology such as descriptive, evolution, medicine, health faucets. These methods are derived from other branches of biology which includes genetics and molecular genetics. The most important anthropological contribution to science and technology is the matters regarding the union between culture, society and human biological position. Combining other branches like history, sociology, and human genetics, all work together to impact the importance of man and anthropological studies.
These developments intersect in important ways with the efforts of anthropologist have made over the years to understand the scientific status of the fieldwork tradition based on participant observation. (Schultz and Lavenda 2014, p. 47)
