ANTA02H3 Lecture Notes - Cultural Relativism, Social Anthropology, Scientific Method
Document Summary
In his article, he is interested in stressing the sensible side of exotic customs. Afterall the scientific method is not followed by people in day to day lives. He argues that magic and science works the same way. He is suggesting that they more and less co exist and operate in very similar ways. This analysis helps us understand why these people think their customs are so rational. We don"t believe in science just because it"s true, metaphors and etc makes us believe in science reaffirm it as a belief system. Metaphors of contemporary witchcraft and magic: tarot cards are used to divine the future. In modern magic there is a belief that mind and thought can effect matter without the intervention of fingers. Tarot cards provide a map of people to understand themselves by transferring the meaning of the card to their own experiences it creates meaning.
