SOSA 2502 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Whig History, Relativism, Sociality

• School: Dalhousie University
• Department: Soc & Social Anthropology
• Course: SOSA 2502
• Professor: Emma Whelan

Document Summary

Readings: text book chapters and case studies. Technological determinism: argument that technology precedes and drives social development; technology can be intrinsically oppressive or liberating. Nature vs. culture in biomedical model: nothing about medical knowledge is culture laden; but there are many critiques to this. Aids is a social construction: our knowledge of aids is social, 3rd position: cannot distinguish between aids itself and our knowledge of. Aids, and aids knowledge is purely social so refuting the position of positivism that we can directly access nature. Positivism: have faith in science because you can directly access nature, positive knowledge of the world; proposition between the faith and reality, the root to true knowledge of reality through science. Whig history: the idea that things will always get better; moving towards better things and view the past from the lens of the correct present; continual progression toward betterment.