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Home > Dictionary of Science Quotations > Scientist Names Index B > Franz Boas Quotes

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Franz Boas
(9 Jul 1858 - 21 Dec 1942)

German-American anthropologist.


Science Quotes by Franz Boas (4 quotes)

Anthropology has reached that point of development where the careful investigation of facts shakes our firm belief in the far-reaching theories that have been built up. The complexity of each phenomenon dawns on our minds, and makes us desirous of proceeding more cautiously. Heretofore we have seen the features common to all human thought. Now we begin to see their differences. We recognize that these are no less important than their similarities, and the value of detailed studies becomes apparent. Our aim has not changed, but our method must change. We are still searching for the laws that govern the growth of human culture, of human thought; but we recognize the fact that before we seek for what is common to all culture, we must analyze each culture by careful and exact methods, as the geologist analyzes the succession and order of deposits, as the biologist examines the forms of living matter. We see that the growth of human culture manifests itself in the growth of each special culture. Thus we have come to understand that before we can build up the theory of the growth of all human culture, we must know the growth of cultures that we find here and there among the most primitive tribes of the Arctic, of the deserts of Australia, and of the impenetrable forests of South America; and the progress of the civilization of antiquity and of our own times. We must, so far as we can, reconstruct the actual history of mankind, before we can hope to discover the laws underlying that history.
— Franz Boas
The Jesup North Pacific Expedition: Memoir of the American Museum of Natural History (1898), Vol. 1, 4.
Science quotes on:  |  Actual (118)  |  Aim (175)  |  America (143)  |  Anthropology (61)  |  Antiquity (34)  |  Apparent (85)  |  Arctic (10)  |  Australia (11)  |  Become (821)  |  Begin (275)  |  Belief (615)  |  Biologist (70)  |  Build (211)  |  Change (639)  |  Civilization (220)  |  Common (447)  |  Complexity (121)  |  Culture (157)  |  Dawn (31)  |  Desert (59)  |  Desirous (2)  |  Detail (150)  |  Development (441)  |  Difference (355)  |  Discover (571)  |  Examine (84)  |  Fact (1257)  |  Facts (553)  |  Find (1014)  |  Firm (47)  |  Forest (161)  |  Form (976)  |  Geologist (82)  |  Govern (66)  |  Growth (200)  |  History (716)  |  History Of Mankind (15)  |  Hope (321)  |  Human (1512)  |  Human Culture (10)  |  Investigation (250)  |  Know (1538)  |  Law (913)  |  Living (492)  |  Mankind (356)  |  Matter (821)  |  Method (531)  |  Mind (1377)  |  More (2558)  |  Most (1728)  |  Must (1525)  |  Order (638)  |  Phenomenon (334)  |  Point (584)  |  Primitive (79)  |  Proceeding (38)  |  Progress (492)  |  Reach (286)  |  Recognize (136)  |  See (1094)  |  Seek (218)  |  Shake (43)  |  South (39)  |  South America (6)  |  Special (188)  |  Still (614)  |  Succession (80)  |  Theory (1015)  |  Thought (995)  |  Time (1911)  |  Tribe (26)  |  Underlying (33)  |  Understand (648)  |  Value (393)

It is clear, from these considerations, that the three methods of classifying mankind—that according to physical characters, according to language, and according to culture—all reflect the historical development of races from different standpoints; and that the results of the three classifications are not comparable, because the historical facts do not affect the three classes of phenomena equally. A consideration of all these classes of facts is needed when we endeavour to reconstruct the early history of the races of mankind.
— Franz Boas
'Summary of the Work of the Committee in British Columbia', Report of the Sixty-Eighth Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1899, 670.
Science quotes on:  |  According (236)  |  Character (259)  |  Classification (102)  |  Consideration (143)  |  Culture (157)  |  Development (441)  |  Different (595)  |  Do (1905)  |  Early (196)  |  Endeavour (63)  |  Equally (129)  |  Fact (1257)  |  Facts (553)  |  Historical (70)  |  History (716)  |  History Of Mankind (15)  |  Human Culture (10)  |  Language (308)  |  Mankind (356)  |  Method (531)  |  Physical (518)  |  Race (278)  |  Result (700)  |  Standpoint (28)

Its [the anthropological method] power to make us understand the roots from which our civilization has sprung, that it impresses us with the relative value of all forms of culture, and thus serves as a check to an exaggerated valuation of the standpoint of our own period, which we are only too liable to consider the ultimate goal of human evolution, thus depriving ourselves of the benefits to be gained from the teachings of other cultures and hindering an objective criticism of our own work.
— Franz Boas
'The History of Anthropology', Science, 1904, 20, 524.
Science quotes on:  |  Anthropology (61)  |  Benefit (123)  |  Civilization (220)  |  Consider (428)  |  Criticism (85)  |  Culture (157)  |  Evolution (635)  |  Form (976)  |  Gain (146)  |  Goal (155)  |  Human (1512)  |  Human Culture (10)  |  Method (531)  |  Objective (96)  |  Other (2233)  |  Ourselves (247)  |  Period (200)  |  Power (771)  |  Root (121)  |  Standpoint (28)  |  Teaching (190)  |  Teachings (11)  |  Ultimate (152)  |  Understand (648)  |  Value (393)  |  Work (1402)

There is no fundamental difference in the ways of thinking of primitive and civilized man. A close connection between race and personality has never been established.
— Franz Boas
The Mind of Primitive Man (1938), preface, v.
Science quotes on:  |  Civilization (220)  |  Connection (171)  |  Difference (355)  |  Fundamental (264)  |  Man (2252)  |  Never (1089)  |  Personality (66)  |  Primitive (79)  |  Primitive Man (5)  |  Race (278)  |  Thinking (425)  |  Way (1214)


See also:

Carl Sagan Thumbnail In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. (1987) -- Carl Sagan
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