One of America's leading anthropolgists offers solutions to the perplexing question of why people behave the way they do.Why do Hindus worship cows? Why do Jews and Moslems refuse to eat pork? Why did so many people in post-medieval Europe believe in witches?Marvin Harris answers these and other perplexing questions about human behavior, showing that no matter how bizarre a people's behavior may seem, it always stems from identifiable and intelligble source...

In this brilliant and profound study the distinguished American anthropologist Marvin Harris shows how the endless varieties of cultural behavior -- often so puzzling at first glance -- can be explained as adaptations to particular ecological conditions. His aim is to account for the evolution of cultural forms as Darwin accounted for the evolution of biological forms: to show how cultures adopt their characteristic forms in response to changing ecological modes."[A] magisterial in...

Con la larga experiencia de sus estudios en pueblos y sociedades de otros continentes, Marvin Harris probó a aplicar su enfoque antropológico a una sociedad moderna en el ensayo titulado La cultura norteamericana contemporánea (1980) y que ahora, con un nuevo prefacio del autor escrito en 1987, se presenta al lector con el título ¿Por qué nada funciona? El texto, ya paradigmático, demuestra la viabilidad de que el análisis de las costumbres e instituciones de zonas remota...

Cultural Materialism, published in 1979, was Marvin Harris's first full-length explication of the theory with which his work has been associated. While Harris has developed and modified some of his ideas over the past two decades, generations of professors have looked to this volume as the essential starting point for explaining the science of culture to students. Now available again after a hiatus, this edition of Cultural Materialism contains the complete text of the original book plus a...

Marvin Harris is arguably the most influential, prolific anthropological theorist of our time. This book brings together many of the strands of his work of the past two decades into a unified, contemporary statement on anthropological theory and practice. In this book, he presents his current views on the nature of culture addressing such issues as the mental/behavioral debate, emics and etics, and anthropological holism. He resoundly critiques many current theoretical trends_from sociobio...

One of America's leading anthropolgists offers solutions to the perplexing question of why people behave the way they do.Why do Hindus worship cows? Why do Jews and Moslems refuse to eat pork? Why did so many people in post-medieval Europe believe in witches?Marvin Harris answers these and other perplexing questions about human behavior, showing that no matter how bizarre a people's behavior may seem, it always stems from identifiable and intelligble sources.This au...

The best known, most often cited history of anthropological theory is finally available in paperback! First published in 1968, Harris's book has been cited in over 1,000 works and is one of the key documents explaining cultural materialism, the theory associated with Harris's work. This updated edition included the complete 1968 text plus a new introduction by Maxine Margolis, which discusses the impact of the book and highlights some of the major trends in anthropological theory since its...

Brian Delaney, génie des mathématiques, touche au but. II a trouvé une solution au fameux problème de Turing, créé une intelligence artificielle qui puisse - au moins - rivaliser avec l'intelligence humaine.Son bureau est envahi, sa machine et ses notes volées, ses commanditaires assassinés. Lui-même est laissé pour mort, la moitié de son cerveau détruit.II va lui falloir recommencer et se reconstruire lui-même, inventant la première prothèse cérébrale.Est-il encore...

"A thought-provoking, stimulating volume on the past, present and future of cultural materialism that is both laudatory of Harris' research strategy and critical of it." Paul Shankman, University of Colorado One of the most important anthropologists of all time, Marvin Harris was influential worldwide as the founder of cultural materialism. This book accessibly analyzes Harris's theories and their important legacies today. The chapters explore cultural materialism's epistemology and its re...

Normal0falsefalsefalseEN-USX-NONEX-NONEWINNER 2013 of the Liz Carpenter Award for Research in the History of Women, presented by the Texas State Historical AssociationThroughout the South, black women were crucial to the Civil Rights Movement, serving as grassroots and organizational leaders. They protested, participated, sat in, mobilized, created, energized, led particular efforts, and served as bridge builders to the rest of the community. Ignored at the time by white po...

Intelligence and the National Security Strategist: Enduring Issues and Challenges presents students with a useful anthology of published articles from diverse sources as well as original contributions to the study of intelligence. The collection includes classic perspectives from the history of warfare, views on the evolution of U.S. intelligence, and studies on the delicate balance between the need for information-gathering and the values of democratic societies. It also includes...

A young genius is hunted by killers. His sole hope for survival lies in the brain power of the intelligent being he has created. The Earth's first machine intelligence becomes the key to a harrowing battle.