| Title | Understanding anthropological understanding: For a merological anthropology |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Authors | Zeitlyn, David |
| Journal | Anthropological Theory |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pagination | 209-231 |
| ISSN | 1463-4996 |
| Abstract | In this article I argue for a merological anthropology in which ideas of `partiality' and `practical adequacy' provide a way out of the impasse of relativism which is implied by postmodernism and the related abandonment of a concern with `truth'. Ideas such as `aptness' and `faithfulness' enable us to re-establish empirical foundations without having to espouse a simple realism which has been rightly criticized. Ideas taken from ethnomethodology, particularly the way we bootstrap from `practical adequacy' to `warrants for confidence', point to a merological anthropology in which we recognize that we do not and cannot know everything, but that we can have reasons for being confident in the little we know. |
| URL | https://doi.org/10.1177/1463499609103550 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1463499609103550 |
| Short Title | Understanding anthropological understanding |
Zotero attachments as links:
