A Review On The Lecture Titled ‘Administrative Value Of Anthropology’

2 Pages 447 Words

Sir Temple speaks about nature and uses of sciences, and in this lecture, he stresses on the uses of Anthropology, a subject increasing in popularity over the years. “Anthropology,” he says “is the study of mankind in all its possible ramifications, a subject far too wide for any one science to cover…” This science is classified into four different heads.
Physical Anthropology is the study of human anatomy, his physical appearance, differences in physical features of different people, and their classifications. There are two sides to this study. One is the physical features, and the other, the physical actions, instincts, customary gestures, etc. A person’s actions, reactions, his tools he uses to make efficient work, no matter how crude, is studied under the technological aspect of anthropology. The society in which he lives, the customs, traditions and the way he uses his abstract reasoning, can be seen by the artifacts of the society. The abstract reasoning of a people is seen clearly by the idea of festivals, celebrations, and the organization in a pastoral field, etc. Man also is found to make items which are not for any purpose, but which represents the culture of the society he lives in. This he may use to adorn his house, or his person. He may also be interested in heavenly bodies and in experiments which have no direct benefit for him. This is the part of the Arts and Sciences the inquirer is interested in.

These studies can be put to practical use. Sir Richard has illustrated the administration of the Empire of Great Britain in the early 1900’s, with the diversity of subjects from Africans, to Indians, to Chinese, to Arabians. This diversity of culture cannot be put under a general mass of subjects, with the negligence of the cultural differences all over the world.
One must study the empire bit by bit, culture by culture. To begin with, one must study the geographical areas of the target society, which wi...