Anthropology has a lot of science in it but fails the is-it-a-science test for many. Clifford Geertz of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, brings a sharp eye to the problem of what exactly anthropology is in an extraordinarily fascinating book After the Fact (Princeton, £17.95 / $27.50, lSBN 0 674 00871 5). What makes the book a delight to read is his awareness of how the social sciences have changed again and again, and with them the perceptions of the social scientists. So this personal history of anthropology brings all the big questions to the forefront from the notion of what an anthropological “proof’ could be or what objectivity is. Highly recommended.
More from New Å®ÉúСÊÓƵ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Å®ÉúСÊÓƵ articles
1
Mathematicians stunned by AI's biggest breakthrough in mathematics yet
2
We may finally know why dinosaurs like T. rex evolved tiny arms
3
The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins’s evolution classic still holds up
4
Photos reveal unexpected details from the world's first atomic test
5
The distant world that is our best hope of finding alien life
6
How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life
7
Mystery of the ancient giant stone jars of Laos may have been solved
8
The ‘doomsday’ glacier’s giant ice shelf is about to break away
9
Epic dreaming is leaving people exhausted and distressed
10
The 3 things you need to know about protein, according to an expert
