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    From *Social Science as Moral Inquiry*: Paul Rabinow's "Humanism as Nihilism: The Bracketing of Seriousness and Truth in American Cultural Anthropology"

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    Rabinow_Humanism as Nihilism

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    From *Social Science as Moral Inquiry*: Paul Rabinow's "Humanism as Nihilism: The Bracketing of Seriousness and Truth in American Cultural Anthropology"

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    292 views13 pages

    Rabinow - Humanism As Nihilism

    Uploaded by

    Diogenes Lab
    From *Social Science as Moral Inquiry*: Paul Rabinow's "Humanism as Nihilism: The Bracketing of Seriousness and Truth in American Cultural Anthropology"

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    of 13
    SOCIAL SCIENCE AS MORAL INQUIRY William M. Sullivan IUMANISM AS NIHILISM THE BRACKETING OF TRUTH AND SERIOUSNESS IN AMERICAN (CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY aul Rabinow andthe ers er be act fae hich an ‘opt tumec otatn=Waker Borin “fret whofany dense fof ian ers sh forwards de et ton uses eee ‘cto ote em nd en pens 2 a8 se Lalisio on ecg ough else wth he sea ol sees oowing Nite se een fal bmg the leeng of mena fe. ‘snus cna a tay sold te eye tn are poe aetna omen tt Oe IY Wing amos be the co the pean see stages itis peer tat dpe el Ameran ‘el snd hast pte iu een pated at he names temp vata taco thing sepa ces, ee nus Inch opr Fl exami te nee ris hae doled te one of "ch ve tat thet auemps scams scene of eae iS RESSESMte themes re sedan 53. MUSANISA As NTIS Sehematizng broadly, argue that nedornantheopaogy has taken ‘ovo major steps inthis dgetion. The fis, assocated with Franz Boas, was the atdculaton a the concept of cultare asa replacement for and atack on the ric, eared views of nineteen century anthropology. Poiialy admirable, Boos! atack on racism ans Tinned Amerian anropalogy ilo a rience concemmed with cul: tures as whales, one concemed with divest and plaralsm, The price Boas and his students paid force construction of cultural elauhism was the bracketing of truth. Each culture could not be taken a face ‘value Earber androplbgists had ethnocentiealy ranked al peoples In elation tothe values ofthe West For Hogs an his students there ‘were undedying universal toundary conditions of what it meant t> tbe human. Allcuures deal with ches fn hee own wy. There was 2 common human contin with diverse solutions. All Otherness (dese diverse solutions) ould be understood as really being the Same (the universal boundary conten. The second step, located in the Parsonian tadion and its of soos, secks to limit the avery broad culture concept by reo in Underlying, but changing bse evolthonary processes snd fn the concept af “symnbal” which gives Bistorial speiicity to diferent ‘cultures. The focus ison experionce and acon asa way of aril: Ing these dimensions. The task of anthropology becomes ot Just the apprecaton of diferent cultures at “ways of Mf” Rather, cultures fate seen clusters of symbols These symbols are analyed as a [pups commentan—ks dicourse—on experience. The tole ofthe anthropologists 10 imayinatbely anslte ther frames of meaning int oo frame of meaning. By so doing, the antopooglt enters nto ive conversation with ce ether euture. The only pice we pid isthe bracketing ofthe seriousness of the apes acts of the Othe, A cultures are brought into the universal canversiton of humanity nat what each hast say is only one mae txt to be tomate ito Wester dacoure Both moments of American cultura aningsdey have major schievements of aalyss.crossecultural dexcalpon, and conten, tute which are undeniable Tam nt suing mutes hee, rls wll get us nowhere, But what worth examining show ‘hype of ingly, bya dogged and ut anes even ero chamgion- sn of anthropology as selence, has undermined the deeper iment of own projet, estance wo the rm cage of modernity, st Pau mAnNOW “THIE BRACKETING OF TRUTH: CULTURAL RELATIVISM. ‘The sucessful reconstitution of anthropology as & nonrcist, non: TMerarclical apd relist slence of eulre i usualy associated {iyue correc) withthe name of Franz Boas. Boas led che assault ‘thin andopeogy beth on racism (and the centraly of race in ‘hoe ara om the unified schemes of cultural evolution which had Rmnate bs right and Tet wing thinkers throughout the nine rion etary. Boas used the seience of clture whieh he was bul tig ty the weapon with wih to aack the concept of race, The vine) of» ponple was cultural and had nothing to do with blogs: “The sccm framework of explanation and the ete Rarework of (Gtlrcntal evaluation were brought under siege by Boos ad is tur dens inthe name of cltues—in te plural “Te madern anthropological concept of clture turned on els tering a terme: history plural, behave determinism, tears Aton und relaism. Each hae is ova genslogy-—Boas was hardy the Ast to posit any of them—but their confluence tn che culture concep was an event of major significance, Accardng 1 Stocking, Once the one grand seine of evelutnism was rejected, the mul Uley of cultures ae ook the plce ofthe cuter stages of a they, barbara and lust were no more eal brought within fine nandard of evalation than Uhey were within one system of ex planavon." Boasts best known fr his rigorous parcuarism, hs zealous em ‘phasis onthe edhagraphie specie ofeach culture, Culture tris Jah be found In diferent ileus, bu cukure was moce than jst ‘Gepurat tls was an eyantzed ay of fe, So Boos’ parla Sto ay onthe level of euftural wholes. Boas was a crusading nomi lls, resting vigorously tthe damage done to tu and morality bye pematute and false schemaizations of his immediate pred: lasursin antvopaigy, The result of dis paricularsm of cultural choke was to establish «tend of relatesm and anithearetcal de srripoon which mere to be the tin marks of American eur at “hoopagy ince his tine, By knoekng down the universal standards Ui empason Boas opened the dove fr cule al elas. The shat ‘ten. the vertical onder of evolutionary schemes Hel so co speak, vm plane on which each eta had a place which was a5 ie ye. 55 HUMANISM as wonLIs ous om he eats dye hl ck ero ah he anaes fuente cet te te etal ad ard Cents and the wove ieston of woes wich predeee mined he place pails, Coomoy oar ted eat thew tw pk to tack (dy we might ny deconstoc) de er Neve tai ears a asc sy ha ke ich hte Dre Bat te ee the whe ava hd a pinay er the place a the pa Con ‘Sry, hover be dananded a sima atal a erl ate ont faster arpa of ea aro nade ora Wile ‘hi mae he sn oe nh tet ngs econ t Sos Tn eto, alli indy." But shat Indl eon th ve de ftegratn ef pareaae troupe geno abe, Menolng wate omega me. ht veaons of cores, nt pl eu

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