The Biological Basis of Human Sociality*

Abstract

THESES1. An animal's organizational morphology must include not only its anatomy and physiology, but its characteristic "way of living." Hereafter this life-mode is termed its "biogram." 2. The psychic activity of animals, either individually or in the aggregate, is the expression of the entire neurophysiological process; it is therefore coextensive with centripetal and centrifugal neural currents together. Behavior is the symptomatics of these neurophysiological processes, on the centrifugal or effectory side. 3.If there is a morphology of the nervous system, there must be a morphology of behavior. Hence the biogram is a configuration. 4. The taxonomy of vertebrates should cover the gamut of their morphology from anatomy to behavior; this follows as a conclusion from the three preceding statements. We .may therefore speak of a "vertebrate," a "mammalian" biogram, and so forth. 5 . Since the vertebrate nervous system has undergone evolutionary elaborations, from the most primitive Classes to the Families and Genera of the warmblooded Classes, it is expectable that the biogram has correspondingly been elaborated, but without being destroyed or otherwise radically modified. 6. Man's biogram is consistent with his taxonomic position. Culture is man's peculiarly elaborate way of expressing the vertebrate biogram. Until this truth has been established, man's place in nature, first determined in the 19th century on the basis of comparative anatomy, remains incompletely visualized. 7.A major task of anthropology is to account for the emergence of a culturized biogram out of a prehuman nonculturized biogram. In measure as this task progresses, cultural and biological anthropology effect the junction for their integration.1. T o obtain a perspective on the vertebrates, and also to appreciate more clearly what a "biogram" is, we shall glance a t the biograms of some social insects. 2. Since the biogram is postulated as a correlate or a consequence of organic * This study was undertaken in 1951 under the kindly prodding of Professor Kroeber. Its existence is herewith gratefully attributed to him, but he is in no wise responsible for any of its statements. The lines of evidence come from numerous sciences: zoology, ethology, psychology, psychoanalysis, neurology, sociology, anthropology. The author disclaims being versed in all these; nevertheless, he believes that he has not misread their data. The essay abbreviates a much longer monograph, and therefore amounts to an abstract. It is hoped that the abruptness of many of the statements will be taken in this light. 1049 PROCEDURE 1050American Anthropologist [60, 1958 evolution, we shall review (minimally and selectively) pertinent features of vertebrate phylogeny. 3. Since behavior is a function of neurological mechanisms, and since these mechanisms produce difEerences in behavior according to what endocrine stimulations they are undergoing (hereafter we shall say that the mechanisms are under a certain endocrine "tonus"), we shall try to understand the biogrammatic pheno...

Innatism in the Anthropology of A. L. Kroeber: A Critique of ‘the Boasian Paradigm’

“…Count's (1958) essay, 'The biological basis of human sociality', was, he says, 'undertaken under the kindly prodding of Professor Kroeber. Its existence is herewith gratefully attributed to him' (Count 1958(Count , 1049; see also Count 1973 (Freeman 1999), which substantially repeats the errors of Margaret Mead and Samoa.…”

“…Though Kroeber's innatism had some 'lateral' influence (Hockett 1959(Hockett , 32, 1977Hymes 1961, 13-14), the only student of his to take up in earnest his mentor's perspective in this regard was Earl Count. Count's (1958) essay, 'The biological basis of human sociality', was, he says, 'undertaken under the kindly prodding of Professor Kroeber.…”

Ritual, Change and Psychotherapy

“…Its structure aids the infant's development in changing a symbiotic tie with a nurturing other, necessitated by evolutionary changes that made culture possible (Count, 1958), to allow the development of adulthood, where the individual is autonomous enough to function within his or her culture.…”

“…In .the industrial West, the nuclear family, embedded in networks of more inclusive institutions and kinship groups, can be seen as functioning to solve this problem for the individual and the social 159 group. Its structure aids the infant's development in changing a symbiotic tie with a nurturing other, necessitated by evolutionary changes that made culture possible (Count, 1958), to allow the development of adulthood, where the individual is autonomous enough to function within his or her culture.…”

Institutions, Naturalism and Evolution

“…It plays a great role in the quasi-Platonic, structuralist anthropology of ClaudeLe vi-Strauss (1972); the biogram notion of LionelTiger & Robin Fox (1971; see alsoCount, 1958); the linguistic deep structure of NoamChomsky (1965); the sociology of ideal types of MaxWeber (1958); the psychology of CarlJung (1923) and, to a lesser extent, JeanPiaget (1971), which are related to the structuralist biology of D' ArcyThompson (1961) and BrianGoodwin (1982).Downloaded by [New York University] at 18:34 22 June 2015…”