Week 3,

Day 1

10 ANTHROPOLOGY
AS SCIENCE
(Anthropology is a SOCIAL SCIENCE)
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Five Characteristics of Anthropology

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1. Holistic
2. Cross-cultural/comparative
3. Scientific
4. Humanistic
5. Evolutionary
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12 Anthropology is Scientific
Anthropology tries to answer questions about the human species by applying the
scientific method

13 Definitions of Science
The word science comes from the Latin "scientia," meaning knowledge.

- Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge.

- Uses observation and experimentation to describe and explain natural phenomena.

14 What is Science?
Qualities of Science:
- Seek knowledge
- Investigative
- Methodological
-Iterative (many steps)
-Predictable (hypotheses)
-Testable/Repeatable
-Self-correcting
-Theories have to stand up to new data & change when
challenged
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15 Science is…
•A way of INVESTIGATING (method of inquiry) the world.
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•Science requires the generation, testing, and acceptance or rejection of HYPOTHESES.
16 Steps in the Scientific Method

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•HYPOTHESIS: a proposed EXPLANATION accounting for a set of facts that can be tested by
further investigation.
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•IF…THEN…
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•THEORY: a general idea that explains a large set of factual patterns.
18 What are the characteristics of Science?
Turtles or Snakes?
19 What to look for while testing hypotheses
•Repetition – does the same phenomena occur over and over?
•Universality – under all conditions?
•New Data – do new data support or refute theory?
•Explanations for exceptions – can we account for these?
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20 Testing Hypotheses
 The goal is the creation of a theory, but no theory is ever complete!
 Theories are never PROVED, just supported.
 Theories like gravity & evolution are so well supported, we take them for granted.
 We don’t expect to find exceptions.
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21 Examples: evolution; gravity; relativity

22 Processes of Reasoning in Science:

•INDUCTION
•Formulating a general explanation from specific observations

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 •DEDUCTION
•Suggesting specific data that could be found if a hypothesis were true
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24 Consider this Reasoning

Faster is Better
25 INDUCTIVE REASONING
•Faster things are better.
•AT&T 4G is faster.
•AT&T 4G is better. (conclusion)
•Inductive Reasoning

DEDUCTIVE Reasoning: Faster things are better – would all data support that?
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INDUCTION vs. DEDUCTION

•Induction – going from the specific to general

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•Deduction – from general to specific
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28 Anthropology as Science
•attempts to explain observed phenomena

•considers the interplay of human biology and culture

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•it does so by generating hypotheses. (emphasis on method)
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•Uses inductive and deductive reasoning!
29 Misconceptions about Science
•Science proves ideas for all time
•Avoid ‘prove’; instead ‘degree of support’
•Once we have a theory, we can rest
•No theory is ever really complete
•Science only studies visible, tangible things
•Gravity, physics, the past (evolution)

30 Preconceptions
Science is always constrained...

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 • by what we already know.
• by what we still don’t know.
• by available technology used to gather and test data.
• by influential social and cultural trends.
31 For example:

32 How do we approach the unknown??

•Some questions about the world, even today, remain beyond the scope of science.
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•How do people cope with these uncertainties?
33 Belief Systems
•Religions
•Philosophies
•Ethics
•Morals
•Laws
•Rights
34 Belief Systems
•Some ideas are taken on FAITH and cannot be scientifically TESTED.
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•The answers that belief systems provide cannot be tested

•They cannot be proved or disproved

•What are examples of this?

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36 It is important to remember…
Science and belief systems are both ways in which humans attempt to understand the world

Therefore… they are not in competition because they seek to answer different kinds of
questions

37 Some things to remember about SCIENCE

•SCIENCE is conducted in CULTURAL CONTEXTS
•Always.
•Our beliefs affect our science
•Can science & belief be separated?
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SCIENCE/BELIEF
They play different roles in our lives.

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 Humans NEED both!
39 What about God?