Anthropological Understanding of Progress? Anthropologists

¶ … anthropological understanding of progress? Anthropologists view progress as an arbitrary construct within the culture they are studying. Progress is only meaningful in the context of those individuals who can define where the culture is progressing from and where it is progressing to. Progress in itself is not associated with technology, democracy, or gender equality, although from within the American cultural tradition those values are associated with the American cultural construct of progress.

What are egocentric and socio-centric views of self? Views of the self are methods by which an individual approaches and considers choices in their life. If a person has an egocentric view of the self, they view themselves as contained and possibly disconnected (or disconnect-able) from the surrounding environment. Their choices are based on their notion of what is best for them as an individual -- what "I" want rather than what "we" want.

The socio-centric view of the self is decentralized, and approaches decisions from the point-of-view of the group rather than the individual. Sociocentric viewpoints can be seen as "group think" but the decisions they produce are often more socially positive than individualist choices. What is an applied anthropology of body image? Applied anthropology employs the discoveries of academic anthropologists to improve or change society. An applied anthropology of body image could use an anthropological study of body image among female American teenagers to develop strategies for preventing anorexia, for example.

What is the political economy of online culture (example Second Life)? The political economy of online cultures like Second Life are a combination of alliances and transactions in the actual world and affiliations in the virtual world. Since geographic location is a minor issue in online cultures (although it overlaps with language community membership), the political economy of online culture must be based on some other kind of closeness. Second Life in particular allows for random and intentional affiliations, just as actual communities and institutions do.

Explain progress theory and the anthropological understanding of progress in relation to the transformation of human societies over the last 10,000 years. Over the last 10 millennia, human societies have indeed made progress in terms of the evolving complexity of the technologies we use for representation and action. The messages we represent, and the actions we take, however, have changed very little. In actual terms, humans are interested in food, sex, emotions, and ideas.

The development of new and different arrangements by which to access and exploit these things can be called "progress," but it does not have any inherent directionality. What does it mean to say that "Human culture has always been virtual"? Human culture can be seen as entirely virtual if 'culture' is defined as those acts and objects that require self-awareness, imagination, and meta-cognition. Virtuality in that case becomes identified with something that is not there -- the metaphorical layer of understanding.

For example, in the cave paintings of Lascaux, the arrangement of paint on cave walls is actual, but the humans and animals represented are virtual, just as characters in a story are virtual. What is techne? Techne is applied cultural knowledge, as opposed to episteme which is abstract cultural knowledge. Techne is that set of skills that allows individuals to craft cultural objects, manufacture cultural meanings, and act in the world of cultural signifiers.

What does it mean to say "we are now in the age of techne"? If we are "living in the age of techne," then we have left the age of episteme, in which intellectual analysis was the most valued skill. The age of techne implies that culture-crafting is now the most valued skill, the one which will give us the most power and agency. How can virtual worlds (ex.

second life) provide real human experiences? If culture is a real human experience, then yes -- virtual worlds like Second Life are just the cultural artifacts that make our real human experiences now, given our current technology. Experiencing a virtual world is no less a real human experience than acting in a play or participating in any other mediated human transaction.

Can virtual worlds (second life) become true communities? Virtual worlds have the potential to become highly functioning institutions, but since they are not set up to deal with the human reality of the body (indeed, they are adept at obscuring this reality) they cannot go beyond the status of institutions. Another kind of institution that limits its own capacity to be a true community is the university, which is not set up to deal with, and in many ways obscures, the human reality of the family and reproduction.

How can a virtual world create a sense of place by way of the presence of people? Virtual worlds create a sense of place for individuals to the degree that those individuals are able to feel a sense of place without the normal sensations of touch, taste, smell, and hearing that usually facilitate a feeling of "being somewhere." Virtual worlds that can adequately simulate visual associations with place may have a better chance of triggering a sense of place in their users.

Do virtual worlds have the possibility of creating disinhibitions or the redefinition of social inhibitions? Clearly, virtual worlds as we currently know them redefine social norms, and with them, social inhibitions. To some extent this is due to the difference in importance that people ascribe to acts that have repercussions in worlds that use multiple modes (e.g. touch, taste, hearing) versus those that have repercussions in only a few modes (e.g. virtual worlds' reliance on vision).

Any new method of interaction requires an adjustment of social norms, just as the rise of abstract currency required an adjustment of social norms related to trade, barter, and valuation of goods. What is a political economy? In anthropological circles, political economy refers to the state of "development" or "economic progress" that a culture/nation/group has achieved. Using the construct of political economy, cultures can be "politically advanced" or "underdeveloped" by comparison to the global industrial standard. Describe/define internet-shaped political economic trends and list both negatives and positives.

Some political economic trends that have been shaped by the internet include: the explosion of personal cultural production in blogs (positive: gives people a sense of ownership and voice;.