1、AnthropologyHuman beings in all times and places think about their world and wonder at their place in it. Humans are thoughtful and creative, possessed of insatiable curiosity. Furthermore, humans have the ability to modify the environment in which they live, thus subjecting all other life forms to
2、their own peculiar ideas and fancies. Therefore, it is important study humans in all their richness and diversity in a calm and systematic manner, with the hope that the knowledge resulting from such studies can lead humans to a more harmonious way of living with themselves and with all other life f
3、orms on this planet Earth.“Anthropology” derives from the Greek words anthropos “human” and logos “the study of.” By its very name, anthropology encompasses the study of all humankind.Anthropology is one of the social sciences. Social science is that branch of intellectual enquiry which seeks to stu
4、dy humans and their endeavors in the same reasoned, orderly, systematic, and dispassioned manner that natural scientists use for the study of natural phenomena.Social science disciplines include geography, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology. Each of these social sciences has a s
5、ubfield or specialization which lies particularly close to anthropology.All the social sciences focus upon the study of humanity. Anthropology is a field-study oriented discipline which makes extensive use of the comparative method in analysis. The emphasis on data gathered first-hand, combined with
6、 a cross-cultural perspective brought to the analysis of cultures past and present, makes this study a unique and distinctly important social science.Anthropological analyses rest heavily upon the concept of culture. Sir Edward Tylors formulation of the concept of culture was one of the great intell
7、ectual achievements of 19th century science. Tylor defined culture as “that complex whole which includes belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” This insight, so profound in its simplicity, opened up an entirely new way of perc
8、eiving and understanding human life. Implicit within Tylors definition is the concept that culture is learned, shared, and patterned behavior.Thus, the anthropological concept of “culture”, like the concept of “set” in mathematics, is an abstract concept which makes possible immense amounts of concrete research and understanding人类学家的任务人类学家提出的是这样一些基本问题：人类从何时、在何处、是如何进化的？人类怎样适应了各种不同的环境？人类社会怎样从远古的过去发展成今天这种模式？这些问题的答案将有助于我们理解人类究竟意味着什么。人类学家也能帮助我们学会一些方法来满足当今世界人民的各种需要，并对我们未来可以怎样生活定出计划。
