Melville Jacobs (1902–1971)

Professor Jacobs defines, contextualizes, and finally provides a Summary for anthropological views of patterns of culture. Noting the absence of a complete scientific theory, he exposes non-anthropologists who claim bogus cultural superiority. His food gathering typology makes sense of the differences between cultures.

He employs speculation carefully, and explains the bases. For example in looking at the origins of language, he compares the communication of dolphins and apes, and notes that prehumans skillful enough to manufacture chipped flints must also have developed oral communication. [82] "All languages of our time, written or unwritten, are of equal antiquity, and "there are no archaic languages" today.

He also has sections on psychological anthropology. For example, prodigies, male/female, male/female behavior, Self-identity, courtship, sleep, dreams, ailment behavior, etiquette, decoration, and creativity.

As for Religion, Jacobs pointedly notes that "Anxieties of Euro-Americans around religious beliefs, practices, and denominations have long been so extreme that no observer of a nonwestern people has failed to interest himself, to a degree, in their religion although he might unconcernedly and entirely ignore their humor, oral literature, or aberrant individuals." [253] In religion, we have "collected the un-ripe fruits", and efforts to structure field studies into units which are interchangeable are "inevitably crude". [253] All we can really say now is to go along with many observers who have, in their culture-bound ways, "pointed to what they sensed was a sector" they called religion. [254] Professor Jacobs suggests that the familiar assurance that "religion equates with belief in God" is "too simple" and fails to compass the elaborations of magic, superstition, soul imagery, and hopes for hexes and a good chance, which fill human activities. [254] The complication of music, sand-painting, and dance simply removes a mature observer from being able to arrive at scientific slicing, arranging, and documented deductions. He seems to take the experience of ecstatic faith as a disqualification. [259] And of course, we have few contacts with nonwestern systems not already "balefully contacted" and contaminated by Caucasians. [260]

Jacobs discusses Animism in detail - adverting to Edward Tylor's studied achievements with an evolutionist orientation. And then added the interrogations of Dr Ruth Benedict [266]. Durkheim contributed a persuasive contrast between "sacred and profane", and other dialectical opposites, "perpetrating many culture-bound errors which damaged anthropology for decades". [273] Jacobs conflates Theology and Mythology in his discussion. [273-275].

Professor Jacobs carefully dissects the concepts of "cultured person" [291], folklore as oral literature [319], dance as a function and an "esthetic" [346], as well as Arts [352], Games [361], world views [366], systematic Ethics [380], and Law [387].… (altro)