ANT102H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Empiricism, Kinship, Auguste Comte
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Language consists of symbols (words, grammatical patterns etc. ) So one way to think of culture is a set of interrelated systems of language- dependent symbols. These systems cover all our relationships with others and with the world. Main argument of the book: for humans, everything is cultural. All our relationships with the social and natural world are mediated by culture. Sahlins wants to show the underlying cultural logic of the american cultural system-eg. in food. According to sahlins organized around a basic taboo against cannibalism. (cannibalism is not illegal in many countries but is the object of a strong taboo. ) Taboo against cannibalism is a taboo against eating one"s own kind. So it prohibits the eating of humans by other humans. But it also informs our ideas about what other animals should be eaten. According to sahlins it is the taboo against cannibalism that prohibits the eating of dogs and horses.
