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Societies without scale

Societies without scale, ontologies without mereologies, Complexity contra modernity

Ryan Schram
University of Sydney
November 22, 2024
Slides available at https://anthro.rschram.org/talks/complexity

Segmentary order: Nested levels

A social order based on the principle of unilineal descent is segmentary, with segments of different levels performing distinct functions.

A wide network based on analogies

Social order is assembled by links based on analogies among elements. Similarities at one level are the basis for positing a more abstract unity, yet the bases for similarities are many.

Different combinations of yams and humans over time

Yams move along chains of people. A society is merely a specific configuration of yams and humans.

talks/complexity/start.1731303613.txt.gz · Last modified: 2024/11/10 21:40 by Ryan Schram (admin)