Comments on: anthropologist and economist http://cultureby.com/2004/05/anthropologist_-3.html This Blog Sits At the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics Thu, 17 May 2012 21:10:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: MT http://cultureby.com/2004/05/anthropologist_-3.html/comment-page-1#comment-8089 MT Fri, 02 Dec 2005 21:39:13 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=1230#comment-8089 Not that costume and status symbols don't figure in Papuan or Amazonian native culture.... I guess I'd have to argue, to compensate for the diminished pervasiveness and strength of reputation, costume and diversity of styles are doing additional kinds of psycho-social heavy lifting in modern versus ancient society. I dunno. Suddenly I feel I'm out on thin ice. Not that costume and status symbols don’t figure in Papuan or Amazonian native culture…. I guess I’d have to argue, to compensate for the diminished pervasiveness and strength of reputation, costume and diversity of styles are doing additional kinds of psycho-social heavy lifting in modern versus ancient society. I dunno. Suddenly I feel I’m out on thin ice.

]]> By: MT http://cultureby.com/2004/05/anthropologist_-3.html/comment-page-1#comment-8088 MT Fri, 02 Dec 2005 18:20:29 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=1230#comment-8088 Maybe I can make something closer to a contribution here by explicitly making a point I gestured toward with my link. It's that these artifacts and the styles we assemble from them symbolize status and affiliation more than they do personal identity, and they are necessary only because no one reading this blog lives and works in a single small community and so in regard to most everyone he or she meets, he or she carries either zero reputation or a reputation that is enormously impoverished compared to the tribal village days. That's probably not an original point either, but I don't see it above and I've read pretty carefully now. Maybe I can make something closer to a contribution here by explicitly making a point I gestured toward with my link. It’s that these artifacts and the styles we assemble from them symbolize status and affiliation more than they do personal identity, and they are necessary only because no one reading this blog lives and works in a single small community and so in regard to most everyone he or she meets, he or she carries either zero reputation or a reputation that is enormously impoverished compared to the tribal village days. That’s probably not an original point either, but I don’t see it above and I’ve read pretty carefully now.

]]> By: MT http://cultureby.com/2004/05/anthropologist_-3.html/comment-page-1#comment-8087 MT Fri, 02 Dec 2005 18:06:42 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=1230#comment-8087 "For example, social status claims are inherently constrained by the zero-sum nature of relative superiority (although various well-established self-delusions enable most people to think they are above average on some attributes). So any status competition immediately operates in a condition of scarcity." D'oh! I confess, I didn't read to the end of the post before I made my comment above. Just got excited to find a context in which something I'd been thinking about was germane to bona fide scholarly discourse--and I jumped too soon to the self-satisfying conclusion that nobody had made my point yet. Oh well. I'll pat myself on the back for having recognized it as germane. “For example, social status claims are inherently constrained by the zero-sum nature of relative superiority (although various well-established self-delusions enable most people to think they are above average on some attributes). So any status competition immediately operates in a condition of scarcity.”

D’oh! I confess, I didn’t read to the end of the post before I made my comment above. Just got excited to find a context in which something I’d been thinking about was germane to bona fide scholarly discourse–and I jumped too soon to the self-satisfying conclusion that nobody had made my point yet. Oh well. I’ll pat myself on the back for having recognized it as germane.

]]> By: MT http://cultureby.com/2004/05/anthropologist_-3.html/comment-page-1#comment-8086 MT Thu, 01 Dec 2005 21:00:51 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=1230#comment-8086 The scarcity that motivates competition is status--or the number of places in the pecking order. No one can be higher than the King of the World or #1 on the pop charts, and while there's an infinite number of communities or subcultures possible in which to establish prestige and influence, there's only so many in practice. In my own experimenting I thought I might have spotted a natural right to intellectual property in this area (note that plagiarism is a sort of natural wrong). I'd love some comments. http://murkythoughts.blogspot.com/2005/10/anthropology-of-intellectual-property.html The scarcity that motivates competition is status–or the number of places in the pecking order. No one can be higher than the King of the World or #1 on the pop charts, and while there’s an infinite number of communities or subcultures possible in which to establish prestige and influence, there’s only so many in practice. In my own experimenting I thought I might have spotted a natural right to intellectual property in this area (note that plagiarism is a sort of natural wrong). I’d love some comments.
http://murkythoughts.blogspot.com/2005/10/anthropology-of-intellectual-property.html

]]> By: Anonymous http://cultureby.com/2004/05/anthropologist_-3.html/comment-page-1#comment-8085 Anonymous Wed, 02 Feb 2005 15:51:34 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=1230#comment-8085 I really appreciate blogs like this one becuase it is insightful and helps me communicate with others. thanks.also, that guy billyz, I really need to talk to you about that cure you mentioned. need others. thanks.also, you to appreciate and I really mentioned. guy talk insightful me one becuase really you this that blogs that communicate to it with helps billyz, is I cure like about I really appreciate blogs like this one becuase it is insightful and helps me communicate with others.
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]]> By: Sarah William http://cultureby.com/2004/05/anthropologist_-3.html/comment-page-1#comment-8084 Sarah William Sun, 26 Sep 2004 13:17:45 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=1230#comment-8084 Excellent Blog and Excellent Post ! Keep it Up. <a href="http://www.wonderfultemplates.com" rel="nofollow">Sarah William</a> http://www.wonderfultemplates.com Excellent Blog and Excellent Post ! Keep it Up.

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]]> By: grant http://cultureby.com/2004/05/anthropologist_-3.html/comment-page-1#comment-8083 grant Fri, 07 May 2004 16:13:28 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=1230#comment-8083 response to Fouroboros: Yes, exactly, I think meaning must be publicly constructed and validated but it exists in profusion and admits of individual choice, precisely bec. an individualistic society has many, many creatures with a great diversity of "meaning needs." And yes, this makes marketing a more demanding scholarly and intellectual exercise than it used to be. People used to say, "well, it isn't rocket science." At this rate, it is someday going to make rocket science look like child's play. And thank you for the phrase "too busy for business." Well said. response to Fouroboros:
Yes, exactly, I think meaning must be publicly constructed and validated but it exists in profusion and admits of individual choice, precisely bec. an individualistic society has many, many creatures with a great diversity of “meaning needs.” And yes, this makes marketing a more demanding scholarly and intellectual exercise than it used to be. People used to say, “well, it isn’t rocket science.” At this rate, it is someday going to make rocket science look like child’s play. And thank you for the phrase “too busy for business.” Well said.

]]> By: fouroboros http://cultureby.com/2004/05/anthropologist_-3.html/comment-page-1#comment-8082 fouroboros Thu, 06 May 2004 18:15:53 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=1230#comment-8082 Very nice, Grant. A periodic table of meaning? Like <a href="http://www.alchemysite.com/au_screen_1.jpg" rel="nofollow">this</a>? Would you not say that "markets" in many ways have been stripped of their "meaning" in the communal, social facilitative sense? Maybe you are saying that. It seems a few are coming to this realization now that their slide rules are failing them, but the people or profit dyad still sends us crashing to the walls with it's swings. Are you aware of any research into intangible, non-discursive valuations of markets? We spend a lot of time drilling into clients--wrong word--exposing clients to, the metaphysics of brand identity and the power of small archetypal cues. Trading economic wherewithal for cultural power, value for value, as you note--achieving what my group calls statue sense. It's an interesting vocation, but obviously not for the businessperson or marketer who's in a hurry to check off a box. Some might call them people too busy for business. Gillette people, perhaps. Thanks for the great blog. I'll be back. Very nice, Grant. A periodic table of meaning? Like this?

Would you not say that “markets” in many ways have been stripped of their “meaning” in the communal, social facilitative sense? Maybe you are saying that. It seems a few are coming to this realization now that their slide rules are failing them, but the people or profit dyad still sends us crashing to the walls with it’s swings. Are you aware of any research into intangible, non-discursive valuations of markets?

We spend a lot of time drilling into clients–wrong word–exposing clients to, the metaphysics of brand identity and the power of small archetypal cues. Trading economic wherewithal for cultural power, value for value, as you note–achieving what my group calls statue sense. It’s an interesting vocation, but obviously not for the businessperson or marketer who’s in a hurry to check off a box. Some might call them people too busy for business. Gillette people, perhaps.

Thanks for the great blog. I’ll be back.

]]> By: Steve http://cultureby.com/2004/05/anthropologist_-3.html/comment-page-1#comment-8081 Steve Thu, 06 May 2004 08:50:30 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=1230#comment-8081 You haven't mentioned stipends. The stipends are decent in a lot of programs, and the work is certainly more stimulating than anything in the corporate world. Psychic benefits, in a phrase. Is your blog syndicated on livejournal? You haven’t mentioned stipends. The stipends are decent in a lot of programs, and the work is certainly more stimulating than anything in the corporate world. Psychic benefits, in a phrase.

Is your blog syndicated on livejournal?

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