Anthropology 2229F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Adaptationism, Eclecticism
Document Summary
Modern theories follow a continue, very diverse views (two extremes: called paradigms: over arching framework about how the world works, different viewpoints on them. Put forward by people like binford: post-processual orientation. Formed in reaction to development of processual. Also known as an idealist view of culture: whole set of different views that sit in the middle, incorporating ideas of both extremes (whole continuum of ideas) Use any kind of theory that works to explain the situation. Processual/materialists: believe that cultural variation, similarities, differences in terms of the. Material conditions of life : role of culture is as an adaptive measure to survive, response to the external world. Way to cope with the natural environment: stress the actual behaviour, basic assumptions of materialists: Culture of humans cannot be understood outside its context of the real world (the environment), responsive to the real world /environment. Culture is the adaptive mechanism, allows for survival of humans.