Alfred Kroeber and the concept of the superorganic

Abstract

Alfred Kroeber was a student of Franz Boas, and thus Boas' influence is visible in some aspects of Kroeber's relationship towards biology. However, in the theoretical sense, Kroeber's biggest contribution is the re-formulation of Spencer's concept of the superorganic which Kroeber used to analyze the notion of culture. The paper analyzes Kroeber's version of the superorganic, the critique he received for it as well as the latter (supposed) change in his theoretical position. Also, in Kroeber's anthropological system the classification of sciences and the configurations which are tightly connected to earlier articulations of the superorganic are of importance. Finally, the harmful consequences of such an understanding when it comes to anthropology and its connection to biology and evolution are pointed out.

Evidências, códigos e classificações: o ofício do historiador e o mundo digital

“…No início do século XX, diversos pioneiros dos estudos antropológicos levaram o debate sobre o caráter das sociedades humanas a um novo patamar teórico precisamente ao distanciarem sociedade (e linguagem) de qualquer conexão com o "natural". O distanciamento do determinismo biológico tornou-se cada vez mais um elemento central na compreensão do papel da cultura na história humana, o que pode ser exemplificado pelas formulações de Alfred Kroeber sobre o conceito de "superorgânico" (KROEBER, 1975;ŠKORIĆ, 2016).…”