Anthropology

Anthropology consists in...

  1. trying to make out the objective (material, biological, bodily) circumstances that influence people in another culture (factors like economy, power and ecology, but also the aesthetical quality of a culture or place); by
  2. letting these same objective circumstances influence your own subjective consciousness - emotionally, intellectually, physically - while all the time trying to keep track of how the changed circumstances change your attitudes and views.
   
  Culture has many meanings, here are five...
 
  1. a cognitive system.
  2. that which power can create. Close to ideology, legitimation - beauty is an important part of this - for people to accept power, its legitimation must be very satisfactory - subtle, beautiful, fascinating, intelligent, even true.
  3. an echo of a successful structure of legitimation.
  4. the remains of a non-echoing, but still meaningful structure of legitimation - e.g. art of Australian Aborigines.
  5. non-vulgarity. The ability to discern quality, to conquer echos. Defining this point is very difficult. It has to do with beauty, balance, health, joy. But the roots of these qualities are so manifold that they always contain elements of pathology. Being "cultured" therefore involves the ability to sift out these qualities. A certain mistakenness will always acompany this ability.