engleski

Reality and perception: Physiology within the framework of anthropology

The history of anthropological thought is probably as old as human race. Throughout centuries we find numerous ideas related to the significance and possibilities of different studies of man and his place in nature - from, e.g. "man as thinking animal", "man as measure of all things", rational dogma and thoughts to Descartes and of about "reasonable", or "rational animal" as well as of "animal machine". The whole western philosophy up to Descartes was rationalistic (called humanistic) but in fact it represented regional or even ethnocentric views with pronounced � intellectual colonialism� . With the decline of classical humanism caused primarily by positivistic techniques, romanticism affected all phylosophical and psychological foundations of classical dogmatism present in human thought for at least 20 centuries. The privilege of the so-called "rational animal" lost its theoretical stability and was denied by observations of anthropology as natural science. Through psychological anthropological approach it retained its place within preromantic phylosophy. By its systematic criticism of classical rationalism and metaphysic tendencies, the empiricism of the 18th century (Hume) paved the way for the crisis of rationalism by the beginning of 19th century, at the time when the anthropological science emerges for the first time within natural sciences. It was the era of taxonomic classifications in botany and zoology, which enabled the integration of man within zoological categories which could be studied by the methods of natural sciences. The so-called � impressionist approach� and reflexive anthropomorphism was then substituted by what we call "statistical group". The new findings opened the doors for numerous anthropological subdisciplines and reflexions which are closely related to the subjects of culture and science of environment - fundamental especially in physiological anthropology studies and its applications. The Symposium entitled � Reality and Perception� will represent an overview of discipline and the state of art.

physiological anthropology; population genetics; anthropology

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