How is Anthropology important?

Question

I mean how do someone get excited from finding a pot or a burial site? It's just so boring. Why must we live in the past? Besides other sciences that deal with getting stuff done like curing diseases and developing medicines are more legitimate than digging for some junk some people left behind when they died. How does Anthropology help the human race? I think it's a waste of time and resources. People who work in the science and math fields tend to have very boring personalities. The world could operate without anthropologists.

Answer 1

Dear Friend...this indeed is a nice question...Let me briefly explain my view point. Anthropology is far wider a subject than just looking into the old artifacts. Anthropology holistically looks at man in time and space. Knowledge gained is utilized in understanding ways to sustain human race and all other species on this earth. We understood that dinosaurs, who at one time dominated all three spheres of earth (Lithosphere, Hydrosphere & atmoshphere) got instinct. They were rulling in Jurasic peoriod. We may apply this knowledge to know if even Human Being get extinct. We may think it as impossible...but I beleive the way we are behaving today...we may get extinct. That is where Anthropology find it's importance.

Answer 2

Not everyone who works in science and math fields are boring, I know some who are realy wild people. Look into Feynman (second time I mentioned him on here tonight) he liked to surf, meet women and party. A realy fun, outgoing person. Anthropology is important because understand our past, who we were, and cultures both old and modern, because many people are enamoured with previous civilizations, it also helps us know where we have came from and were we are going. Read a book or e-article on ancient egypt, mayan civilizations or the byzantine empire and after 2 minutes of reading, ask yourself if it is as boring as you originaly though. Understanding how we thought at a period of time also lets us see how certain societies came to conclusions. Finds such as old pots or a arrow head are interesting to people not just for novelty, but for scientists to figure out how our ancestors lived. I like it, but thats just my opinion. I understand you are skeptical of the old and dusty lol. All I can do is suggest, give it a chance! XD

Answer 3

One correction. Anthropology is neither a science or mathematics. It is social science.

Answer 4

First of all, I think you are confusing anthropology with archaeology.  Archaeology is a subfield of anthro that many academics believe should be a distinct discipline.  It deals with not only the material past but with the behavioral, climatic, and evolutionary past.  Archaeologists connect human behavioral patterns, like methods of subsistence, with past climates and attempt to discover how earlier humans collaborated with the environment to survive.  This is crucial to understanding how we subsist today and it gives us insight into what might be viable for our future needs.  It also reveals to us patterns of human population growth and decline during harsh environmental conditions.  Likely to be important when the ice caps melt completely.   This is only one of the many things that archaeologists do.  They also study human evolution (if you believe in that sort of thing), osteology, genetics, microbiology, and many other fields that are useful in connecting the dots of prehistory, perhaps helping us to understand ourselves and how we became to be who we are today.  And that is in part what anthropology is, "it is the study of humans, by humans, for humans."  If archaeology didn't exist then we wouldn't know the true accomplishments of past human societies.  Sometimes those accomplishments are, amazingly, comparably greater than what we achieve today.  If it didn't exist then cultures supposedly connected with their past might forget elements of their history or never rediscover long forgotten rituals, dwellings, and posessions of their people's daily lives.  If it didn't exist then it would be harder to learn from the past and we'd likely make the same mistakes over and over again.  What's that saying?, "those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it."  Archaeology is prehistory (before written records) and helps to extend our knowledge of our past.  What I am saying is that archaeology and anthropology help us to remember things  that we should never forget.  Personally, can you move forward without first dealing with your past?  

P.S.  People in the science and math fields have boring personalities because they dedicate their lives to making your life better.  And if you didn't know, science and math IS what cures diseases.  And please clarify what you mean by "legitimate".

Answer 5

Archaeologists dig up the past.  Granted, archaeology is a branch of anthropology, but it isn't the WHOLE thing.  Ethnography, linguistics, and socio-cultural anthropology are also parts of the field.  Many parts of anthropology don't even deal with the past--they deal with present cultures and people--which is precisely why it is important.  Anthropologists help us understand others, which, in this global society we've created, is pretty major.  Oftentimes anthropologists are consulted about international matters that someone with say, a degree and career in business or computers, might not be able to assist with.  

Regarding your comment about diseases and medicine, anthropology DOES contribute to that as as well.  Through field work, anthropologists discover which diseases are common in particular cultures or geographical areas.  They are also able to gather information about local/home remedies that people use to fight different medical problems.  Even archaeologists, who "dig up the past" contribute.  Say an archeologist found a tomb or burial site full of people who died because of a particular disease: studying those bodies can shed some light on how the desease works and what methods were attempted in the past to defeat it.

In addition, all branches of anthropology contribute to our historical understanding of humans and human movement.  Anthropologists can trace how people change over time...who they were 1000, 100, or 10 years ago, vs who they are today.  They also trace our evolutionary progress.  

Finally, I would have to say that you've never actually met an anthropologist.  They tend to be the most unique individuals you'll ever encounter.  How could someone who has traveled to remote areas of the world and studied some of the most unique cultures be boring?  How could you say that the type of person who would abandon all things Western to witness and participate in tribal rituals would have a boring personality?

Perhaps the world could get along without anthropologists, however, it would be much more ingorant and far less interesting.

Answer 6

I agree wholeheartedly with everyone's defense of my chosen major...but guys, lets be serious...Archeology is the coolest form of anthropology. It encompasses and requires a knowledge of that "cultural" and "theoretical" stuff, I guess...but really...was Indiana Jones a paleoanthropologist? A linguist? NO! He was totally an archaeologist, or something like that. I mean look at Lara Croft, if she wasn't robbing tombs and cared about provenance she'd be cool too right?

And why is it half the anthro people on Yahoo answers have fedoras on their avatars? Again, Indiana Jones. WOOOOOOOOOO Archeology. (You'll notice I'm all about the scientific practice because of the way I spell it, shouts to Binford!)

PS - This was said mostly tongue in cheek:)

Answer 7

So obviously everything you learned about anthropology you learned from Indiana Jones...

Anthropology helps the human race by studying the human race.  We're not all about finding bones or pots or whatever, we study humans, their cultures and why we do what we do.  We study the past as well as the future, where we are going and such.  Anthropologists are in every field and you don't even know it.  You seem to have pop cultures version of anthropology, study up before you ask these questions.

The world could not operate without anthropologists.

Answer 8

There is more to Anthropology than "finding pottey".  There is Cultural Anthropology that helps us understand all cultures big and small.  There is the study of man from our first upright steps to today.  What could be boring about the study and history of mankind?