Abstract

My objective in this paper is to demonstrate how conceptual analysis, with a little help from empirical evidence, can help us to coordinate the efforts of the two chief schools of anthropological thought, evolutionary anthropology and sociocultural anthropology, to understand human nature. The marked differences between these two branches of anthropology (especially in their sophisticated forms) tend to block cooperation, impede the consideration of each other’s arguments, and stall the progress of anthropological science. Conceptual analysis is a basic philosophical tool that can help us resolve the differences between the two anthropological paradigms. Coordinating these branches of anthropology would facilitate a deeper understanding of human nature. In doing so, it can also help us resolve some of the theoretical and practical problems that anthropological science faces.