An Application of Dimensional Analysis in Cultural Anthropology
Dados Bibliográficos
| AUTOR(ES) | |
|---|---|
| ANO | 1984 |
| TIPO | Artigo |
| PERIÓDICO | American Anthropologist |
| ISSN | 0002-7294 |
| E-ISSN | 0002-7294 |
| EDITORA | Shima Publications (Australia) |
| DOI | 10.1525/aa.1984.86.4.02a00030 |
| CITAÇÕES | 1 |
| ADICIONADO EM | 2025-08-18 |
| MD5 |
8132db94e9627322562e13a4fc1d045e
|
Resumo
Lawlike generalizations can be developed only for variables exhibiting strict constancy in concept formulation. By considering anthropology a space and its basic concepts as dimensions and borrowing from ecology, cultural materialism, and social, political, and cultural anthropology, we develop a 14‐dimensional space defined by 42 scaled variables. Dimensional analysis performed yields 14 equations and 28 dimensionless expressions that satisfy them. Additionally, we derive a set of 28 ethnological expressions. Entering scaled data from five societies, we solve for each. Twenty‐one expressions yield significant order‐ings. Examination of their performance confirms that they function holistically.