why is anthropology considered a holistic science?!?

Answer 1

In terms of the Scientific Method, I'm not sure you can even call it a true "science". In fact, I had a prof in college who began the course by saying just that. This was very thought provoking ... and on the first day of class, too. (This does NOT mean that anthropology is "weak" or "second-rate", it just means that a strict definition the word "Science" doesn't apply well here.)

Answer 2

As Steven points out, anthropology is often called a "weak" science. It's not a hard, factual, physical science like Chemistry or Physics; it is a social science. That doesn't mean it's any less good, or that anthropologists are weak, it's just a different way of looking at things, and a completely different search for truth.

Something is holistic when it emphasizes the whole of everything, and the interaction between all the smaller parts comprising the whole.

Since Anthropology examines the "study of people" at its most fundamental, it is natural to say that anthropology is an overarching holistic examination of the human world. In Anthropology, we emphasize how different aspects of culture, environment, and genetics all come together to form distinctive groups of humans. There are many more specific examples, but this is the best general one.

Answer 3

Pronunciation: hO-'lis-tik
Function: adjective
1:of or relating to holism
2:relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts < holistic medicine attempts to treat both the mind and the body> < holistic ecology views humans and the environment as a single system>
-ho·lis·ti·cal·ly /-ti-k(&-)lE /adverb

SO, what I would ASSUME is, from the DEFINITION, Anthropology takes the information from the AREA they FOUND the bones, or artifacts, or theatres, or whatever they found, in order to decide how the people lived, behaved towards themselves and others, and other things about that society they did the research from in that area.

Answer 4

Anthropology is a science because it practises the scientific method of formulating a theory through the process of induction or deduction. Any such theory is subject to verification and falsification.
It is a holistic science because instead of concentrating on one single aspect of the object that is studied, it looks at many different aspects, thus being able to produce a general, more complete description.

Answer 5

Anthropology is considered a holistic science because it studies humankind as a whole. It studies their culture, their physical structure, their religion, everything. That's what makes it such a complicated science. It studies every facet of humankind that is available to study.