Re: Anthropology within the Social Sciences

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On Wed, 8 March Cliff Sloane wrote:

It seems to me that you can establish a 3- or 4-dimensional model

for all the social sciences.

On a continuum of time, one has history -> anthropology ->
sociology

On a continuum of group vs individual, one has
anthropology -> sociology -> psychology


On the notion of epistemology, one can scale it thus:
logic -> philosophy -> sociological theory -> anthro theory

------------------------- END Sloane --------------

While I can see the first two, the last may be altered: May I
suggest a branching where the derived characteristic is
"evolution" which has had a major impact on anthropology in
terms of both theories of biological and cultural evolution. I
am not sure sociology has experienced a similar impact.

logic -> philosophy -> sociological theory ->
I
evolution
I--> anthro theory ->

But then Mark Nadler offered:

Let me offer a slightly different continuum that B.F.
Skinner developed that I believe nicely shows the position of
anthropology in the overall scheme of things:

Physics>Chemistry>Biology(especially evolutionary
theory)> Psychology>Anthropology.

Also, I think most people think of certain types of
social insects as having a society (sociology) without having a
culture (anthropology).

-------END NADLER---

I think it would be remiss to underestimate the effects of
evolutionary theory, and in the present context, genetics.
Biological Determinism seems to be something that just won't go
away.

logic -> philosophy -> Physics>Chemistry>Biology>Genetics>
I
I
Biology>Psychology> <evolutionary psychology
I I
evolution > sociobiology
I--> anthro theory -> <-I
I
-> sociological theory -> ?


But then there is also all the weirdness:


Biology>Psychology>
I
evolution >
I--> anthro theory -> \ /\
I /\ \---/ \ \
I \ / \
/----------\ I \/ \
I BIG ROCK I I \
\----------/ I I
Literary Theory -- I
I \/
\I/
STOP
we're happy with our numbers!

-> sociological theory ->



vance geiger
geiger@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu

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