Anthropology: what is the science of man?

The main subject of anthropology is a person in all its manifestations. It is because of this that there are several internal disciplines of this science. Anthropology is divided into philosophical, cultural, physical, social, etc. All of them study human nature from different angles.

Origin of the term

The word "anthropology" has Greek roots. In the ancient era, this term was popular among Hellenic philosophers and scientists. It is believed that the word introduced into use by Aristotle, who lived in the IV century BC. E. At the same time, the philosopher meant anthropology as a science, studying precisely the spiritual side of human existence.

With this subtext, the term was used by many different famous thinkers. For example, among them was Kant, who was very interested in anthropology. What is the human essence, what is the place of people in the world - all these and many other issues were raised by the German philosopher and his like-minded people. Nevertheless, in modern humanitarian science, the point of view is predominant that the term "philosophical anthropology" is applicable to the school that arose in the twentieth century. And only in a secondary sense this concept covers the works of thinkers of previous eras.

Philosophical Anthropology

Fundamental to philosophical anthropology are the classical publications of the German philosopher and thinker Max Scheler. This is "The situation of man in outer space," "About the eternal and man," and so on.

Scheler's books were written at the beginning of the 20th century, and they combined the many-sided scientific experience of the previous century. The German researcher tried to answer the question, what is the human spirit. Philosophical anthropology, among other things, appeals to religion. The basis of man, according to Scheler, is spirit in the broadest sense of the word. It consists of instincts, vitality and various ideas.

Scheler influenced many thinkers of the XX century who somehow worked in the field of philosophical anthropology. Among them were Russian humanities: Andrei Bely, Nikolai Berdyaev, Sergei Bulgakov, Lev Karsavin, etc. These researchers studied the problems of anthropology, relying on related disciplines: sociology, ethology, biology and psychology. The object of their research was a man. Philosophical anthropology today has many theoretical schools based on their writings.

Physical anthropology

In the more familiar sense of the philistine, the word "anthropology" implies physical anthropology. This science studies a person from the point of view of the biological species: its structure, relationship with nature, features of the organism.

In Russia, physical anthropology originated in the eighteenth century thanks to Peter I. The Russian Tsar created the first museum in the country - the Kunstkamera, where there were many expositions devoted to anatomy. Peter was carried away by this science after he visited Europe during the "great embassy". The sovereign incognito visited lectures of Dutch anatomists and anthropologists.

In Russia, there was a lot of material for the development of science about man. In the XVIII century, Siberia was actively explored and colonized. Representatives of small and unique ethnic groups lived on its expanses. Expedition leaders compiled detailed anthropological reports about their lives, which were then sent to St. Petersburg and European universities. Among such researchers were Stepan Krashennikov, Peter Pallas, etc. Many of them were foreigners who were actively hired by the Romanovs because of a shortage of their own specialists.

Anthropology in Russia

Also in Russia, the history of anthropology includes the works of various Russian thinkers. Alexander Radishchev, best known for his essay "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow," also studied human nature. In the Ilim exile, he wrote an important treatise "On the man, about his mortality and immortality", where he combined the theses of philosophical and physical anthropology.

Socialist and utopian Nikolai Chernyshevsky could not ignore the question of the human place in the world. He actively propagated such a philosophical school as materialism. In it, and reflected racial anthropology. What is the people, ethnos - all this excited the minds of researchers of the XIX century. The socialists, like Chernyshevsky, believed that all the differences in the fate of different nations took place because of a chain of historical events, rather than racial natural differences.

Cultural and social anthropology

Another discipline (cultural, or social anthropology) primarily studies the customs and traditions of different peoples. In Russia, a huge contribution to this science was made by Nikolai Miklukho-Maklai, who studied various eastern countries. He managed to reach even the distant peoples of Oceania at a time when no one was seriously interested in their way of life. His essays became pillars for researchers of different profiles.

Nevertheless, cultural (or social) anthropology arose somewhat later than Miklouho-Maclay. At the beginning of the twentieth century, this science was born thanks to the books of Leo Frobenius, Ruth Benedict, Franz Boas, Marcel Moss, etc. If the term "cultural anthropology" is popular in the United States, then in Britain "social anthropology" is popular. What is cultural anthropology? It is based on biological knowledge about a person and at the same time explores ideas and values adopted in different cultures.

Similarity with ethnology

Cultural anthropology is a related science with ethnology, which is somewhat wider in the questions posed to itself. In different countries, this similarity is accepted or rejected in its own way. It is interesting that in Russia, thanks to the Soviet legacy, the tradition to call this science ethnography has been preserved. At the same time, the term "ethnology" is practically not used in English science, but, on the contrary, "cultural anthropology" is popular. What is human study for Western researchers? Thanks to the globalization and openness of the world today, modern scholars unite in their work a variety of knowledge, formed in different cultures, which helps to take a fresh look at the human nature.