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Ecology, Evolution, and the Search for Cultural Origins: The Question of Islamic Pig Prohibition [and Comments and Reply]

1978; University of Chicago Press; Volume: 19; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1086/202138

1537-5382

Paul Diener, Eugene E. Robkin, E. N. Anderson, Harold B. Barclay, Peter J. Bertocci, Karen Brown, Pierre Centlivres, Ashraf Ghani, Louis E. Grivetti, Marvin Harris, Anthony Leeds, Martin Orans, Raphael Patai, Johannes W. Raum, Frederick J. Simoons, Andrew P. Vayda, Philip L. Wagner, Malcolm C. Webb,

Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation

This paper examines the ecological explanation offered by Marvin Harris for the origin of pig prohibition in Islam, using the case to evaluate the functional-ecological paradigm and its treatment of cultural origins. Five majorpoints are addressed. First, a survey of the biological literature reveals that functional-ecological theory and evolutionary theory are distinct, but related. While functional ecology explains how systems work, evolutionary theory is necessary to explain why systems exist as they are, how they have come to be, and what they may become in the future. Logical, mathematical, and practical evidence suggests that the distinction between functional ecology and evolution should also be recognized in cultural theory. Second, ecological "explanation" is sometimes based upon superficial, careless, or simply erroneous research. This criticism applies to Harris's discussion of the Islamic pig prohibition. Third, serious logical problems exist in ecological accounts of origin, presence, and change. These problems are revealed to be more serious and limiting than previously recognized, and Harris's account of pig prohibition in Islam is found to be tautological and false. Such logical difficulties are also entailed in controlled comparisons or cross-cultural surveys which attempt to adduce historical process from synchronic case studies. Fourth, ecological speculations about origins direct our attention away from the historical record. In this paper we develop the hypothesis of pig prohibition first put forward by Frazer in light of more recent historical information. While our investigation is exploratory and requires testing by those with adequate linguistic and archival skills, the Frazer hypothesis appears plausible. More importantly, it is clear that Harris's "explanation" of Islamic pig prohibition has obscured important historical processes. Further, by extending the Frazer hypothesis to the case of India's sacred cattle, we demonstrate that general theory in culture history is possible. Finally, serious ethical questions result from ecological models which ignore history and the record of social conflicts it contains and which rely upon spurious "positive functions" to explain the customs we observe about us. It is ethically unacceptable to assume that what is must necessarily be good.