Cultural Materialism as a Way of Existence

In Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches: The Riddles of Culture, anthropologist Marvin Harris provides a framework for understanding the "riddles" of culture that is known as cultural materialism. Whether it is the sacred status of the cow to Hindus or the ban on eating pork by Muslims and Jews or even the advent of witches, Harris maintains in his theory of cultural materialism that all of these aspects of human culture are a response to practical problems of existence. For example, witches were a convenient culprit against the rising protest against Church and State. Cows are more valuable for plowing and providing milk than as a one time meal for Hindus. This analysis will discuss cultural materialism as a way of existence for people and societies based on Harris' views.

In Western culture, many individuals cannot understand why Hindus would starve rather than eat beef from their cows. Though the cow has attained a "sacred" status in Hindu society, this status is directly related to the cow's significance for

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Category: Psychology - C