HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: vanzandt@netcom.com (John Van Zandt)
Subject: role of instinct in human intelligence
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 19:21:52 GMT

Last nite my wife and I attended a fascinating lecture by UCSB professors
Leda Cosmides and John Tooby which discussed the role of instinct in
human behaviour and thought. One of their hypotheses is that humans have
a logic which is not mathematical logic, but is designed to be evolutionarily
successful. The example they gave was an old psychology experiment which
tests people on whether they can easily solve a simple logic puzzle.

The puzzle is where a stmt of the form 'if P then Q' is given, and then
the person is supposed to use this rule to find the solution. The literature
shows that people have a hard time with this, even if the scenario is
placed in a familiar context.

What the lecture presented was that given a context which was a social
contract (such as if you give me your watch then I'll give you $10), the
people could easily solve the puzzle if the purpose was to prevent cheating
(i.e. giving up the watch without recieving the $10). What my wife and I were
wondering (of course, on the way home), was whether this experiment
took into account cultural learning (was the experiment valid for
all of the different world cultures). 

Any one familiar with this work who can answer?

Thanks,
   John Van Zandt
   netcom.com
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
Subject: Cannibalism , structuralism.
From: <G87CC@CUNYVM.BITNET>
Date: Wednesday, 11 Nov 1992 17:55:40 EST
Organization: City University of New York/ University Computer Center


      Does anyone know if there is a structuralist opinion on cannibalism?
I know that Harris and a few symbolic thinkers have touched the subject.


Any comments would be greatly appreciated.         - Nelson_

Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
From: coonstot@quads.uchicago.edu (charles orville onstott)
Subject: Martin Heidegger:  Understanding and Meaning--a reading group
Summary: Reading group proposition
Keywords: Heidegger, meaning, understanding, interpretation, sign 
Reply-To: coonstot@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 22:26:36 GMT

I am planning on doing a detailed re-reading of Division 1 Section V
of Martin Heidegger's _Being and Time_.	 This chapter deals with
the concept of "Being-In."  I am most concerned, however, with the
concepts of _meaning_, _understanding_, _interpretation_, and _sign_.
Therefore, I plan to do a reading to recover these concepts and
their associated ramifications.	 I am not closed to the possibility
that this could turn out to be a criticism.

  If anyone is interested in this sort of a study, I propose an
email reading group which I will proctor.    The readings will
be designed so that most of Section V will be covered by the end of
November.  Thus, the reading will be  a little demanding.  However,
we will not be reading all of Section V, only those that are relevent
to the purpose stated above.

  Whether or not you have read Heidegger, if you would be interested
in learning Heidegger's criticism of hermeneutics and reference theory
as presented in _Being and Time_, this reading would be very useful
to you.	 This could give you an introduction to a great thinker on these
matters--and one that presents several challenges to our current
understanding of these given concepts.	The application of his
criticism ranges anywhere from Artificial Intelligence, the Human
Sciences, to Hermenuetics.

The format:  Readings will be conducted on a weekly basis with
a posting of commentary on the reading at the end of the week by
all members.  These will be forwarded to all members of the group.
Commentary on the responses should be made at will and will be
forwarded to all those involved.  At the end of November, a commentary
on the group's movement of thought on Heidegger will be made by myself
and will be open to response through December.	It may take us
1 week into December to finish the relevent sections before the
final phenomenological study of the group's thought.

If you are interested, please send me email and I will send
out the first reading set.  You will need to have your own
copy of _Being and Time_(any library should have at least 1 copy)
I will be using the english translation of this text; however,
if you know German and have a copy of _Sein und Zeit_ your
input would be valuable.

Thank You,

Charles O. Onstott, III
University of Chicago Divinity School
coonstot@midway.uchicago.edu


-- 
Charles O. Onstott, III                         (coonstot@midway.uchicago.edu)
Graduate Student in Religion and the Human Sciences
The University of Chicago Divinity School
           "For [the study of] history, too, has its fashions."  (Anouilh)
From: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
Subject: Re: The Gnostic Gospels
Date: 10 Nov 92 13:56:03 GMT
Reply-To: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Organization: COMANDOS Project, Glesga Yoonie

gary@suite.sw.oz.au (Gary Corby) wrote:
> Early in October s1006420@titan.ucc.umass.edu (Vera B.)  posted to
> sci.anthropology about a book called The Gnostic Gospels, by  Elaine
> Pagels, a professor of religious studies at Princeton.
> My wife is trying to find a copy but having some difficulty.  Could anyone
> tell me the name of the publisher and any other details that might be 
> useful?  It looks like we'll have to get a copy sent to us from the States.

What I've seen of that book looked rather dull.  This one does a much better
job of showing why those weird ideas actually *mattered* to people:

     LC Call Number: BT1390 .L2713 1989
             Author: Lacarriere, Jacques, 1925-
      Generic Title: Gnostiques. English
              Title: The Gnostics / Jacques Lacarriere ; foreword by Lawrence
                      Durrell ; translated from the French by Nina Rootes.
   Publication Info: San Francisco : City Lights, c1989.
  Phys. Description: 136 p. ; 21 cm.
              Notes: Translation of: Les gnostiques.
              Notes: Reprint. Originally published: London : Owen, 1977.
              Notes: Bibliography: p. 129-136.
           Subjects: Gnosticism.
     LC Card Number:    89034170 //r92
               ISBN: 0-87286-243-7 : $6.95

-- 
--  Jack Campin    room G092, Computing Science Department, Glasgow University,
17 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ, Scotland   TEL: 041 339 8855 x6854 (work)
INTERNET: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk or via nsfnet-relay.ac.uk    FAX: 041 330 4913
BANG!net: via mcsun and uknet     BITNET: via UKACRL    UUCP: jack@glasgow.uucp
From: lanplscp@bcarh1b0.BNR.CA (Jim Feeley)
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
Subject: Ethnobiological Classification
Keywords: book review
Date: 11 Nov 92 17:10:32 GMT
Reply-To: lanplscp@bcarh1b0.BNR.CA (Jim Feeley)
Distribution: world
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.

I'd like to post this request for a friend:

	"I'm inviting comments on 'Ethnobiological Classification: Principle
	of Categorization of Plants and Animals in Traditional Societies' by
	Brent Berlin.  It was discussed in a review in The Idler, Sept/Oct
	issue.  Has anyone read this book?

Please reply to 'ldusseau@zeus.uwaterloo.ca' (as well as to this newsgroup, 
if you like).

Thanks,
Lisa Dusseault for Tom Rourke

Xref: sparky sci.anthropology:1392 sci.cognitive:629
From: burke@lostboys.ils.nwu.edu (Robin Burke)
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology,sci.cognitive
Subject: Re: [GEN] Re: Anthropologists' Theory of Everything - was Recent anthropologic collections
Date: 15 Nov 92 20:36:11 GMT
	<1992Nov11.031139.6410@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> <BxnzL4.MLD@NeoSoft.com>
Followup-To: sci.anthropology,sci.cognitive
Organization: The Institute for the Learning Sciences, Evanston, IL


Those interested in reading such accounts of human origins might be
well-advised to also read Donna Haraway's _Primate_Visions_, an
interesting set of cautionary tales about the construction and use of
secular creation stories.

--
robin
=:-{)

institute for learned scientists
northwestern university
From: gil@Gilsys.DIALix.oz.au (Gil Hardwick)
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
Subject: Gil Hardwick should be kicked out
Distribution: world
Date: Sat, 07 Nov 92 08:48:10 GMT
Organization: STAFF STRATEGIES - Anthropologists & Training Agents


In article <1992Nov5.052503.4636@honte.uleth.ca> std_leong@hg.uleth.ca writes:

 > Some of us are freshmen with new accounts and would rather not be stereo-
 > typed when attempting to read articles regarding anthropology.  
 > Cheers, anyways.  Chris. :-(

What prompted such a statement under that particular heading? Have I
missed something here?

Far be it for me to deter freshers from taking an interest in our
noble and somewhat challenging profession, if that is what you are
concerned about.

Feel quite free to participate, Chris. I have witnessed no stereotypy
(unless what you are referring to is rather an abundant pleonasm) from
this end, and perhaps with your input as a new account in turn we will
see a further improvement in the standard of the group.

How about a smiley to kick off, eh?  ;-)

--
Gil Hardwick                                      gil@Gilsys.DIALix.oz.au
Independent Consulting Ethnologist                            3:690/660.6
PERTH, Western Australia                                 (+61 9) 399 2401
   * * Sustainable Community Development & Environmental Education * *
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
From: tomp@toto.cis (Thomas Plunkett)
Subject: Gopher Anthro information server
Reply-To: tomp@toto.cis
Organization: Yale University
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 02:03:26 GMT


Hi -

I would like to place this proposal out on the net to see what reaction I 
may get.  I am setting up a Gopher server that is to be dedicated to 
Anthropology/Archaeology as a news network/information storage retrieval
system.  I am "donating" time to this and would like to see who in network
land would be interested in adding articles, providing suggestions, and possibly
even aiding the admin effort.  This is going to be a public server and as such
I would hope everyone would be interested in it as a place to 
drop articles, etc. etc. etc.   Send mail to me directly, and I will post
the suggestions made, and will hopefully have the server up and running within 
a week!


Is this information strange to you?  Or do you not know what gopher is?  Send
email to me and I will provide the info.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Thomas Plunkett                                    This is a dream dreaming us.
Systems Programmer
Yale University
tom_plunkett@yale.edu	

University of Connecticut
Department of Anthropology


Xref: sparky sci.anthropology:1348 alt.books.reviews:87
From: claird@NeoSoft.com (Cameron Laird)
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology,alt.books.reviews
Subject: [GEN] Recent anthropologic collections
Date: 10 Nov 92 16:06:37 GMT
Article-I.D.: NeoSoft.BxICr6.CHn
Organization: NeoSoft Communications Services -- (713) 684-5900

Anyone had a chance yet to read

	Schiller, Nina Glick, Linda Basch, and Cristina
	Blanc-Szanton, editors
	1992	Towards a Transnational Perspective on Migration:
		Race, Class, Ethnicity, and Nationalism Reconsi-
		dered.  New York Academy of Sciences, New York
or
	Eldredge, Niles, and Marjorie Greene
	1992	Interactions:  The Biological Context of Social
		Systems.  Columbia University Press, New York

?  I assume the latter is the saltational-socialist contribution
to the Theory of Everything skirmishes--note that I write this
affectionately; I *like* such attempts at synthetic tradition as
silverbacks Dennett, Edelman, Diamond, Prochiantz, MacNeish, Wil-
son, ... have more or less recently given us.
-- 

Cameron Laird
claird@Neosoft.com (claird%Neosoft.com@uunet.uu.net)	+1 713 267 7966
claird@litwin.com (claird%litwin.com@uunet.uu.net)  	+1 713 996 8546
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
From: nelson_p@apollo.hp.com (Peter Nelson)
Subject: Re: degrees
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 18:44:16 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Corporation, Chelmsford, MA

In article <Bx455o.4wA@ais.org> newt@ais.org (Heather Darling) writes:
>I'm a sophomore in college planning on majoring in anthro. I need to know
>what I'll be able to do with this degree though. Is it possible to use it
>for any sort of social work? I'm interested in cultural preservation and
>plan to work with the peace-corps after I graduate. Any advice would be
>appreciated,

  Insults.  It's especially important that you learn insults. 
  Given the increasing reliance of modern anthropology on inter-
  national computer networks such as Usenet, you should develop
  the ability to insult people in ways which are (shall we say?)
  "context-independent".  I.e., a good insult should be understandable
  across a variety of cultures, e.g., American/Australian, Dutch,
  Canadian, Southern-Californian, Macedonian, Turkish, etc.  Since
  it's never too early to think about your master's thesis, I 
  think this might make an engaging topic -- certainly it has
  the advantage of easy field-work without having to worry about
  alarming native customs and tropical diseases.

  And then there's sex.  I admit I didn't know much about anthropology
  before reading this newsgroup, but one of the pleasant surprises
  for me was discovering how often someone brings up fascinating topics
  like "breasts: their role in evolution", "breasts: faxing pictures
  of them to America from centers of higher learning in the Nether-
  lands", not to mention the most recent proposal for research on
  "nudism in American culture".   

  Because anthropology is a rigorous scientific discipline, much more
  akin to physics or theoretical mathematics than the social sciences, 
  you should learn the methods of logical discourse and formal proof.
  Chief among these is the ability to dismiss another researcher's
  work by claiming that "nothing is real", and "everything is context
  dependent".  If this doesn't work you can practice questioning his
  (or her) methods of manual-genital self-stimulation.  We have many
  practitioners of this right here on sci.anthropology from whom
  to learn.


  Hope this helps.


---peter





  
  
  
  

 I'm especially interested in working in the appalachian area of
>the US. 
>Thanks
>
From: dkarma@pro-nbs.acme.fred.org (Druta Karma)
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
Subject: Re: Gopher Anthro information server
Date: 13 Nov 1992 20:10:51 -0600
Organization: Pro-nbs.acme.fred.org -- San Diego, Ca (619) 571-0152
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

If I were to speak to someone about a gopher, I would be talking about
what, exactly?

Druta Karma
----
ProLine:  dkarma@pro-nbs
Internet: dkarma@pro-nbs.acme.fred.org
From: JHARTLEY@cmsa.gmr.com
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
Subject: Re: Ethnobiological Classification
Date: 12 Nov 92 12:48:55 GMT
Organization: GM Research Labs

In article <17651@bcars664.bnr.ca>
lanplscp@bcarh1b0.BNR.CA (Jim Feeley) writes:

>	"I'm inviting comments on 'Ethnobiological Classification: Principle
>	of Categorization of Plants and Animals in Traditional Societies' by
>	Brent Berlin.  It was discussed in a review in The Idler, Sept/Oct
>	issue.  Has anyone read this book?

A similar article is available in "Cognition and Categorization" by Eleanor
Rosch and Barbara Lloyd ,1978, Erlbaum.  This article is titled:
"Ethnobiological classification" with subchapters "the domain of plants and
animals in folk biological classification", "taxa of life form rank",
"taxa of generic rank", "taxa of specific and varietal rank", and
"taxa of intermediate rank: covert categories".
His views resemble those of Rosch, a psychologist who was once married to
an anthropologist.  The major points are that the structure in the world is
"picked up" by the perceiver, to a large extent independently of culture,
because (switching to Rosch's terms) categories at the basic level (or
generic rank) maximixe within category similarity and between category
distinctions.  This is interesting reading for addressing the issue of
the interface between culture and structurally driven perception (by
that I mean perception which is so influenced by the structure in the
world that it is similar across cultures.)  Pardon my use of the word
culture - I am a psychologist not an anthropologist.  No offense intended.
From: gil@Gilsys.DIALix.oz.au (Gil Hardwick)
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
Subject: Gil Hardwick should be kicked out
Distribution: world
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 92 04:35:24 GMT
Organization: STAFF STRATEGIES - Anthropologists & Training Agents


In article <1992Nov5.221248.10389@u.washington.edu> mimir@stein.u.washington.edu writes:

 >  Sorry. I didn't mean to put you down by associating you with Gil. I'm
 > sure you are more mature than our distinguished anthropologist. Seriously.
 > He's just learning how to use the computer, I'm afraid and doesn't realize
 > how the networks work.

Al, this cyberspace created by the Internet cannot be anarchic in any
sense of the term, since it demonstrably transcends world-views. Rather,
I am regarding the phenomenon as *liminal*. That I bring you existential
discomfort merely by sitting here, right on the other side of the world
from where you are, typing character codes into a dumb machine provides
ample evidence that this is in fact the case, if you would like to do
some more home work on the nature of ritual discourse.

If I have become your prop that is fine with me. The idea makes me feel
quite privileged, in fact; being a prop to a son of a witch . . .

For my part, I just can't seem to rid myself of the idea that if I keep
it up eventually a little bell will ring in your mind. Hopefully at the
same time a little light will go on. *DING!*

In the meantime, no pain no gain, n'est ce pas?

--
Gil Hardwick                                      gil@Gilsys.DIALix.oz.au
Independent Consulting Ethnologist                            3:690/660.6
PERTH, Western Australia                                 (+61 9) 399 2401
   * * Sustainable Community Development & Environmental Education * *
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
From: gary@suite.sw.oz.au (Gary Corby)
Subject: The Gnostic Gospels
Organization: Softway Pty Ltd
Date:  9 Nov 92 02:04:19 GMT


Early in October s1006420@titan.ucc.umass.edu
(Vera B.)  posted to sci.anthropology
about a book called The Gnostic Gospels, by 
Elaine Pagels, a professor of religious studies
at Princeton.

My wife is trying to find a copy but having some
difficulty.  Could anyone tell me the name of the 
publisher and any other details that might be 
useful?  It looks like we'll have to get a copy
sent to us from the States.

Thanks
-- 
Gary Corby  (gary@softway.oz.au)
From: gil@Gilsys.DIALix.oz.au (Gil Hardwick)
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
Subject: William Irwin Thompson
Distribution: world
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 92 02:39:50 GMT
Organization: STAFF STRATEGIES - Anthropologists & Training Agents


In article <BxK0FB.Iy9@apollo.hp.com> nelson_p@apollo.hp.com writes:

 >     This is an interesting thesis but it begs some important
 >     questions.    
 >  
 >     Mainly it seems to make the assumption that our behavior
 >     in the larger world is determined by some intrinsic prop-
 >     erties of "maleness" and "femaleness".   Bush and Saddam
 >     are not merely being leaders of powerful nations with 
 >     differing national goals, priorities, interest, spheres
 >     of influence, etc, but are in fact just being males for
 >     whom these other things are merely incidental?    How far
 >     do we take this premise?   Is my posting, or Gil's, or
 >     our respective choice of careers, or <whatever> just a
 >     a reflection of testosterone and Y-chromosomes?   

It is somewhat out of my field to do more than make observations on
the social behaviour of humans and comment upon them. That any number
of scientists independently observe the same behaviours, they can
reasonably be held as reliable indicators of probable outcome. Since
the influence of the feminist critique is now felt, the effect of such
feminine interference patterns on male posturing behaviour can similarly
be observed.

 >     (At this point I have to backtrack quickly since only
 >     yesterday I suggested in sci.econ that the current trade
 >     dispute between the US and France was merely an attempt
 >     to demonstrate which nation had the larger national phallus.
 >     But I was being humorous.   I hope.)

Yes, I also found myself making explicit the potential humour of the
situation, given our cultural expectations . . .

 >     Likewise the role of woman in all this:  Is her effect
 >     on the situation the result of biology, secondary sex
 >     characteristics, etc?    If the roles are just cultural
 >     then as women achieve positions of political power and
 >     influence we might expect them to behave the same way 
 >     the men do in those roles.   And in fact, based on the
 >     admittedly small sample-size this appears correct.   
 >     Nations with female leaders seem no less likely to go
 >     to war or play power games than ones with male leaders.

Just to clarify, my observations are of humans playing out gender
distinct social roles, not sex determined biological roles. Certainly,
a dominant female playing out a masculine social role can be expected
to exhibit the predicted behaviour profile; Thatcher on the Falklands
can be cited as another classic example.

My specific reference was to women interfering with the dynamics of
the Male Duet as mother figures . . .

--
Gil Hardwick                                      gil@Gilsys.DIALix.oz.au
Independent Consulting Ethnologist                            3:690/660.6
PERTH, Western Australia                                 (+61 9) 399 2401
   * * Sustainable Community Development & Environmental Education * *
From: gil@Gilsys.DIALix.oz.au (Gil Hardwick)
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
Subject: William Irwin Thompson
Distribution: world
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 92 06:35:37 GMT
Organization: STAFF STRATEGIES - Anthropologists & Training Agents


In article <JMC.92Nov10061848@SAIL.Stanford.EDU> jmc@cs.Stanford.EDU writes:

 > This essay mixes up acute observations, unsupported dicta and mere
 > metaphors.  If challenged I'll mention some of each.  The trouble with
 > gurus, and I suppose he is one, is that their writings are not
 > refereed, and this makes them intellectually self-indulgent.
 >  
 > --
 > John McCarthy, Computer Science Department, Stanford, CA 94305
 > *
 > He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.

We need not challenge you, John, old friend; merely pursue our enquiry
further into the phenomenon of intellectual self-indulgence among gurus
and those who choose to find trouble with it, all apparently dancing
the same merry jig.

In the meantime, I thank you indeed for providing empirical data I may
draw on in support of my own argument.

--
Gil Hardwick                                      gil@Gilsys.DIALix.oz.au
Independent Consulting Ethnologist                            3:690/660.6
PERTH, Western Australia                                 (+61 9) 399 2401
   * * Sustainable Community Development & Environmental Education * *
From: std_leong@hg.uleth.ca
Subject: Re: Gil Hardwick should be kicked out
Reply-To: std_leong@hg.uleth.ca
Organization: University of Lethbridge
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 05:25:03 GMT

Some of us are freshmen with new accounts and would rather not be stereo-
typed when attempting to read articles regarding anthropology.  
Cheers, anyways.  Chris. :-(
Newsgroups: sci.edu