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Re: Pig-headedness and anthropology
wd&aeMiller (millerwd@ix.netcom.com(wd&aeMiller))
2 Sep 1996 23:37:06 GMT
In <3225DFE7.273F@byu.edu> Shannon Adams <shannon_adams@byu.edu>
writes:
>
>Everyone get ready for a flame war.
>
>In my august and infinitely correct opinion ;) pig-headedness and
>ethnocentricism have no place on this newsgroup. I was under the
impression,
>silly me, that anthropology is a field of study that should lead us to
>understanding AND tolerance of others' cultures, ideas, etc. But
lately most
>of what I've heard (now why did I think *heard* instead of *seen*) has
been
>the exact opposite. Creationists have been proven to be idiots,
illiterates
>and far worse?! when did this happen? I wasn't notified ;) Native
>Americans are whiners/European Americans are whiners. Like, duh! for
some
>at least ;) but guess what some Native Americans and European
Americans are
>wonderful, talented, amiable people as well! Post-modernists are part
of
>vast conspiracy to undermind the scientific community. You mean like
how the
>scientific community is part of a vast conspiracy to undermind the
faith of
>religious/traditional peoples ;)?
>
>All joking aside I am SO SICK of hearing everyone ranting and raving
about
>the fact that other people don't think the way they do! Have any of
you
>ranters actually taken an Anthro class? If you have you haven't
interalized
>it! One of the most fundamental aspects of cultural anthropology is
that
>different peoples have differing idealogies, cosmologies, thought
patterns,
>associations, languages, should I go on? And while I personally
believe that
>an individual has the RIGHT to decide what he/she believes to be
correct
>or the truth among these differences, IMHO an individual (or group,
for that
>matter) DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO *PROCLAIM* THAT SOMEONE ELSE IS AN
IDIOT
>SIMPLY BECAUSE THAT PERSON DOES NOT AGREE WITH THEM!!! Sure you might
be
>able to find fallacies in their beliefs, but guess what there are
fallacies
>in yours as well! I'm so flustered I can't even remember the
anthropologist
>now but somebody said that all cultures/ideological systems are
internally
>logical and I would add that all cultures/ideological systems are
externally
>illogical. LIVE WITH IT!!
>
>Shannon
Thank you thank you thank you.
Everyone should always remember that anthropology falls under social
science. This means that truth falls under the category of cultural
relatavism, NOT a correspondence theory. It is nice to know about
reason and arguement and other objective reality philosophies as an
anthropologist, but they have no place in the field. As cultural
relativism states..."What might be true for you doesn't have to be true
for me.". You might think you are damn well right about something, but
that doesn't make the other persons belief any less appreciable.
Amanda
UNLV
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