ANTB05H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Michel Foucault, Historical Particularism, Enculturation
Document Summary
Blind men who never seen an elephant, each had a chance of feeling an elephant, because of. First guy, feels the trunk and relates it back to a python. Second guy, feels the tusks and relates it back to spears. Third guy, feels the legs and relates it back to a pillar. Fourth guy, feels the ears and relates it back to a fan. Fifth guy, feels the skin and relates it back to bricks. Sixth guy, feels the tail and compares it to rope. Moral of the story, is that each person had a different perspective due to what they felt. Our views tend to be shaped by the structures of observation. Our views are limited by only what we see. Ex, observing africa through the colonial lens ; missionaries judgment of african belief systems through the eyes of christianity ; comparing african modes of thought from a western philosophical perspective.
