新编英语教程第五册12课the-science-of-custom

TheScienceofCustom[1]Anthropologyisthestudyofhumanbeingsascreaturesofsociety.Itfastensitsattentionuponthosephysicalcharacteristicsandindustrialtechniques,thoseconventionsandvalues,whichdistinguishonecommunityfromallothersthatbelongtoadifferenttradition.[2]Thedistinguishingmarkofanthropologyamongthesocialsciencesisthatitincludesforseriousstudyothersocieitesthanourown.Foritspurposesanysocialregulationofmatingandreproductionisassignificantasourown,thoughitmaybethatoftheSeaDyaks,andhavenopossiblehistoricalrelationtothatofourcivilization.Totheanthropologist,ourcustomsandthoseofaNewGuineatribearetwopossiblesocialschemesfordealingwithacommonproblem,andinsofarasheremainsananthropologistheisboundtoavoidanyweightingofoneinfavoroftheother.Heisinterestedinhumanbehavior,notasitisshapedbyonetradition,ourown,butasithasbeenshapedbyanytraditionwhatsoever.Heisinterestedinthegreatgamutofcustomthatisfoundinvariouscultures,andhisobjectistounderstandthewayinwhichthesecultureschangeanddifferentiate,thedifferentformsthroughwhichtheyexpressthemselves,andthemannerinwhichthecustomsofanypeoplefunctioninthelivesoftheindividualswhocomposethem.[3]Nowcustomhasnotbeencommonlyregardedasasubjectofanygreatmoment.Theinnerworkingsofourownbrainswefeeltobeuniquelyworthyofinvestigation,butcustom,wehaveawayofthinking,isbehavioratitsmostcommonplace.Asamatteroffact,itistheotherwayaround.Traditionalcustom,takentheworldover,isamassofdetailedbehaviormoreastonishingthanwhatanyonepersoncaneverevolveinindividualactions,nomatterhowaberrant.Yetthatisarathertrivialaspectofthematter.Thefactoffirst-rateimportanceisthepredominantrolethatcustomplaysinexperienceandinbelief,andtheverygreatvarietiesitmaymanifest.[4]Nomaneverlooksattheworldwithpristineeyes.Heseesiteditedbyadefinitesetofcustomsandinstitutionsandwaysofthinking.Eveninhisphilosophicalprobingshecannotgobehindthesestereotypes;hisveryconceptsofthetrueandthefalsewillstillhavereferencetohisparticulartraditionalcustoms.JohnDeweyhassaidinallseriousnessthatthepartplayedbycustominshapingthebehavioroftheindividualasoveragainstanywayinwhichhecanaffecttraditionalcustom,isastheproportionofthetotalvocabularyofhismothertongueoveragainstthosewordsofhisownbabytalkthataretakenupintothevernacularofhisfamily.Whenoneseriouslystudiesthesocialordersthathavehadtheopportunitytodevelopautonomously,thefigurebecomesnomorethananexactandmatter-of-actobservation.Thelifehistoryoftheindividualisfirstandforemostanaccommodationtothepatternsandstandardstraditionallyhandeddowninhiscommunity.Fromthemomentofhisbirththecustomsintowhichheisbornshapehisexperienceandbehavior.Bythetimehecantalk,heisthelittlecreatureofhisculture,andbythetimeheisgrownandabletotakepartinitsactivities,itshabitsarehishabits,itsbeliefshisbeliefs,itsimpossibilitieshisimpossibilities.Everychildthatisbornintohisgroupwillsharethemwithhim,andnochildbornintooneontheoppositesideoftheglobecaneverachievethethousandthpart.Thereisnosocialproblemitismoreincumbentuponustounderstandthanthisoftheroleofcustom.Untilweareintelligentastoitslawsandvarieties,themaincomplicatingfactsofhumanlifemustremainunintelligible.[5]Thestudyofcustomcanbeprofitableonlyaftercertainpreliminarypropositionshavebeenaccepted,andsomeofthesepropositionshavebeenviolentlyopposed.Inthefirstplaceanyscientificstudyrequiresthattherebenopreferentialweightingofoneoranotheroftheitemsintheseriesitselectsforitsconsideration.Inallthelesscontroversialfieldslikethestudyofcactiortermitesorthenatureofnebulae,thenecessarymethodofstudyistogrouptherelevantmaterialandtotakenoteofallpossiblevariantformsandconditions.Inthiswaywehavelearnedallthatweknowofthelawsofastronomy,orofthehabitsofthesocialinsects,letussay.Itisonlyinthestudyofmanhimselfthatthemajorsocialscienceshavesubstitutedthestudyofonelocalvariation,thatofWesterncivilization[6]Anthropologywasbydefinitionimpossibleaslongasthesedistinctionsbetweenourselvesandtheprimitive,ourselvesandthebarbarian,ourselvesandthepagan,heldswayoverpeople'sminds.Itwasnecessaryfirsttoarriveatthatdegreeofsophisticationwherewenolongersetourownbeliefoveragainstourneighbor'ssuperstition.Itwasnecessarytorecognizethattheseinstitutionswhicharebasedonthesamepremises,letussaythesupernatural,mustbeconsideredtogether,ourownamongtherest.