Science, Reason, and Anthropology: A Guide to Critical Thinking
Science, Reason, and Anthropologyis an exceptional work of articulate scholarshipand a prized contribution to anthropology, ideal for both the student and the scholar of anthropology, as well as the non-specialized general reader with an interest in rational thought and scientific inquiry. (Midwest Book Review)James Lett provides both a concise guide to critical thinking for students and professionals as well as his own application of critical thinking to the longstanding split in anthropology between science and humanism. Lett works squarely and superbly within the empiricist tradition, which holds that reliable knowledge about what happens in the world and why it happens is best gained by making conjectures and then subjecting those conjectures to possible contradiction by our observations and logical arguments. Clear thinking and clear writing are the hallmarks of this tradition, and Lett delivers on both counts. (Tim O'Meara, University of Melbourne)