Malinowskis Legacy and His Views on Theory - Essay Example

Malinowski's approach was holistic. The interaction of the natives was associated with magic, spirituality and kinship. He did later field work in Africa and the Oaxaca Valley in Mexico. Malinowski was the first Chair of Anthropology at the University of London. He lectured at Harvard and Cornell Universities and in many cities worldwide. He was a visiting professor at Yale University. His reputation as a lecturer and writer was excellent. He was fluent in English and other European languages and also became fluent in the languages of the native tribes he studied.

Malinowski founded Anthropological Functionalism. He believed that all parts of a society formed a balanced system by interacting with each other. One of his achievements was to combine cultural theory with psychology. He believed that all beliefs, ideas, customs and objects fulfills a necessary function, has a goal to attain and is a vital part with the working of the entire society. His emphasis was on the characteristics of rituals, beliefs, religion, ceremonies, sexual taboos and customs.

(Bronislaw Malinowski 1884 - 1942) Humans have a quest for knowledge and the truths about reality. We observe the universe in its entirety. Then, we chose a part of the universe to study. A hypothesis is formulated about our observations. Then, we experiment to see if what we have observed can be duplicated each time the methods we have chosen are used. When this happens, we have found truth. An example is that two molecules of hydrogen and one of oxygen will form water. This never varies. Not all theories can be verified by what is called the scientific method.

An example of this is the factors that can cause a child to become a juvenile delinquent. A theory might attribute this to a child in a single parent family who is abused and lives among peers who are delinquents. Not all children who have one parent who abuses them and who live in a subculture of crime will become juvenile delinquents although this makes the possibility of delinquency greater. Philosophy is the quest for knowledge and wisdom to be able to understand the natures of humans, the universe, purpose, spirituality and other facets of life.

Functionalism is a doctrine of the philosophy of the mind. The theory is that which causes a mental state is not internal, but depends on the role or function a person plays in his or her cognitive system. This is based on Aristotle's theory of the soul. He believed that the soul is "the form of a natural, organized human body - the set of powers or capacities that enable it to express its 'essential whatness', which for Aristotle is a matter of fulfilling the function or purpose that defines it as the kind of thing it is.

" (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) The soul is not is not a product of the physical condition of the physical body, but show itself in certain parts corresponding to stages of biological development influenced by reason, movement and nutrition.