Anthropology is based on a belief that perception is under-determined by reality—that the qualia of experience are open to many possible interpretations and do not impose one on all people. We humans use arbitrary and conventional structures of meaning—‘culture’—to make sense of them. So while economists are interested in examining the veracity of Carnagey et. al.’s beliefs, anthropologists are interested in ‘motivating’ (as they say in structuralism and method acting) the scientist’s beliefs—that is to say, understanding how they are a particular instantiation of the broader cultural context that produced the scientists in question.
Would you like to comment?
Join Diigo for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.