5.25.02 INT. HESBURGH COMPUTER CLUSTER KIOSK 1:42pm DAY
i know why i like anthropology so much. i think i have finally understood the holism of anthropology. anthropology is applied philosophy. i’ve read so many things that describe types of behavior and discussions of what defines reality, etc that seem totally unaware that anthropologists deal with these concepts as a matter of course, not only metaphysical, but documented and observed in a variety of cultures. i was discussing with Hani the other day about conceptions of reality and this man named Rorty says everyone has their own reality, something similar is posited in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. i heard/read these things and thought…of course! the reality i know is structured from the society and mythos i am surrounded by. my relationship as subject to object, “Quality” in the book, is determined by the associations learned and experienced by existence. those who are termed ‘insane’ are those whose learning and experience have formed analogues that are significantly different from the societal norm. their reality is not invalid…just different. the conflict arises because the realities cannot coexist and remain in harmony.
after that digression i will attempt to be succinct.
i think whenever a new philosophical argument arises, the person who comes up with it should head to their local anthropologist to find out if there is documentation of the belief system in the really real world.
chances are there is.
the more i shuffle my anthropological knowledge and supplement it with other forms, the more i understand what the hell humans are.