Shouldn't anthropology be a branch of ethology and a natural science?

Question

Hi,

Ethology is the science of animal behavior.

Ethology is a natural science.

Cultural anthropology is the science of human societies and cultures.

Cultural anthropology is a social science.

So, why doesn't cultural anthropology belong to the natural sciences instead of social sciences?

Other animals may not have societies and culture but our culture and society are our animal behaviours.

So shouldn't anthropology be a branch of ethology?

PLEASE DO NOT ANSWER WITH LINKS.

Thanks.

Answer 1

I see your point.  Yet anthopology is more readily understood by the soft-science types, and I think it is properly placed in the learning spectrum.

Answer 2

Anthropology, like all of our once different sciences, is blurring the lines between sciences as we increase our data base.  Biologists, Engineers, Md's & other branches are both looking to anthropologists for answers & providing answers to them. Social sciences are becoming more objective & less subjective as time goes on.  Chuckle, but one will seldom find an engineer that is politically correct. It is a mite late to reclassify fields now.

Answer 3

My only wonder is which is more fraudulent and has more charlatons running around --- anthropology (a science my butt),  or the space/interstellar science field whatever it is called)??  Horrible!!!

Answer 4

Anthropology actually has several subfields. Cultural anthropology, linguistics, archaeology, and biological anthropology. These in turn have their own subfields. While Anthropology as a whole is considered a social science because it deals with the study of humans in holistic terms, certain segments of anthropology are considered more social, containing more subjective data (etc. cultural anthropology) while others are categorized as physical sciences because they often require more "hard" types of data (biological subfields such as genetics).

Answer 5

As an ethologist, I can understand your frustration. Rigor is that which separates social science from natural science. As anthropology is, no, ethology would not want it. It is E. O. Wilson who wishes consiliance between the various disciplines; I would prefer reduction of what is potentially valid in social science into biology, where it belongs.

Answer 6

i think you just answered your question. Ethology deals with animals and anthropology deals with humans. why would anthropology be a branch of it? anthropology is a pure social science, although there is an exception with biological anthropology, but yet it still retains the human side of the field.