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Originally posted by Palynka
From another forum:
[i]The word anthropology is something I can't dissociate with colonial history as it's a discipline that originated from a position of western dominance. In my view, "anthropology" is an outdated concept for a scientific field which only really made sense from the perspective of a dichotomy between the "more civilized" versus the "less c ...[text shortened]... ogy have to offer that other fields (including humanities along with sciences) do not?
ATY, BdN, twhitehead?

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Originally posted by zeeblebot
ATY, BdN, twhitehead?
Not my field. My impression is that it's probably unnecessary but harmless.

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Originally posted by zeeblebot
ATY, BdN, twhitehead?
Thoroughly disinterested, it turns out. If Palynka wants to purge academia of anthropologists, I won't stand in his way. He just better not complain if there's a campaign to eradicate economics because 'it's not a real science'.

Interesting that anthropologists have been 'embedded' in US operations in Afghanistan, though.

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Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Interesting that anthropologists have been 'embedded' in US operations in Afghanistan, though.
Score another point for the imperialistic leftover.

As for economics, nothing in my argument attacks anthropology for not being a "hard science" so the parallel is weak.

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Palynka,

It seems to me that today's academics are increasingly specialized. It seems to me that an integrated science, such as anthropology, would be apt at studying a field as diverse as humanity.

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Originally posted by Palynka
Score another point for the imperialistic leftover.

As for economics, nothing in my argument attacks anthropology for not being a "hard science" so the parallel is weak.
Good bait, but you can keep it.

There is such a thing as 'defence economics' too.

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Originally posted by amolv06
Palynka,

It seems to me that today's academics are increasingly specialized. It seems to me that an integrated science, such as anthropology, would be apt at studying a field as diverse as humanity.
I wonder why sociology limits itself to human society rather than considering all the networks that constitute and limit the human.

'Object of study': questionable premise.

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Originally posted by amolv06
Palynka,

It seems to me that today's academics are increasingly specialized. It seems to me that an integrated science, such as anthropology, would be apt at studying a field as diverse as humanity.
See the Wittgenstein quote above.

What is a holistic study of mankind? Can you give me an example of a paper that doesn't square perfectly into other fields?

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Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
There is such a thing as 'defence economics' too.
And what does that have to do with anything? 😕

(and it's hardly anything more than a small footnote in any economics department and is entirely absent in most)

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Originally posted by Palynka
Score another point for the imperialistic leftover.

As for economics, nothing in my argument attacks anthropology for not being a "hard science" so the parallel is weak.
surely a spry young economist like telerion or bbar has got to be better sport than some dried-up old mummy emeritus from the uni anthropology department.

they've got to be much better at dodging the question, for one thing.

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compare tarpon or bonefish vs. an aquarium-bred algae eater.

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i hear obama's fond of young economists.

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Originally posted by zeeblebot
surely a spry young economist like telerion or bbar has got to be better sport than some dried-up old mummy emeritus from the uni anthropology department.

they've got to be much better at dodging the question, for one thing.
Ah, the will to power.

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Originally posted by Palynka
See the Wittgenstein quote above.

What is a holistic study of mankind? Can you give me an example of a paper that doesn't square perfectly into other fields?
I'm not sure what a holistic study of mankind would consist of. But surely we can conceive a subject which strives to do that. If such a subject were to exist, do you not think it could provide some insight into the nature of man that can not be gained by studying man's individual characteristics? It seems like this is the goal of anthropology.

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Originally posted by amolv06
I'm not sure what a holistic study of mankind would consist of. But surely we can conceive a subject which strives to do that. If such a subject were to exist, do you not think it could provide some insight into the nature of man that can not be gained by studying man's individual characteristics? It seems like this is the goal of anthropology.
Let's say I was a researcher in education focusing on the emotional needs of children in the classroom. Now a particular group of children is performing very poorly. Coincidentally, they all come from a minority culture very different to the prevailing Western culture. Would this be a good time to consult my colleague, the educational anthropologist?