User talk:Scandza
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Philosophy of Anthropology
Philosophy of anthropogy refers to the philosophical discipline concerned with the issues of anthropology. As a branch of the social sciences, it is deeply related to sociology, ethnology and history. One of its main goals is to unify the several empirical investigations of human nature in an effort to understand individuals as both creatures of their environment and creators of their own values.[1]
Historical overview

What fruitful new developments would not arise if only our whole philosophy would become anthropology. Johann Gottfried Herder[2]
Before the modern methods of research and fieldwork anthropology was regarded in the western world as a branch of philosophy. It took Immanuel Kant 25 years to write one of the first major treatises on anthropology, his Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View. Kant is not generally considered to be a modern anthropologist, however, as he never left his region of Germany nor did he study any cultures besides his own. Anthropology, as we know it today, is thus primarily a post-Enlightenment endeavour that encompasses other empirical areas of investigation. Modern philosophy of anthropology's main goal is not the creation of a theoretical framework with which we can explore deeper the empirical results of the social sciences, but the development a broader perspective intended to help tackle conceptual loopholes brought about by common assumptions. Philosophy of anthropology also tries to examine the problems in value theory that arise when anthopologists confront cultures that do not share their own society's standards.
Epistemology
Philosophy of anthropology is intimately related to the issues of epistemology as it tries to examine the way knowledge is acquired and shered. There are at least two major strands in the study of epistemology applied to anthropology. Cognitive anthropology, as described in the works of Lévi-Strauss and the structuralists that see cultures and societies as a rule-governed set of structures. It radically differs from social relativism as being...
Translation, interpretation and culture
The work of a major philosopher, WVO Quine has been the source of much research on the areas of translation, interpretation and semantics; which are important areas in the human sciences. There has been considerable controversy within anthropology concerning the methodological problems posed by the investigation of alien cultures. Semantics is related to such questions as 'is translation possible?', 'Can I judge the truth/falsity of the beliefs of members of an alien culture?', 'Is rationality only a "modern" phenomenon?'.[3]
Related areas
- Linguistic anthropology
- Linguistic relativism
Bibliography
- Philosophy of Anthropology and Sociology
- Edward Craig - Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Entry on 'Philosophy of antrhopology'



