Why Anthropology Still Matters in 2025

Anthropology has become an increasingly lesser-known topic that people are aware of. What many do not realize is that the study of anthropology can be applied anywhere you go. As the study of the human experience, anthropology covers every aspect of life. Your lifestyle, financial situation, your body, the physical world around you, how you think and how the people around you think, all your social interactions, and more—these are all part of anthropology.

A fundamental aspect of anthropology is understanding the reasons behind human behavior. For example, when anthropologists study a culture, they don’t just learn the facts about it; they focus on how it came to be. They strive to understand why people in a culture act a certain way, rather than simply focusing on the actions themselves. This approach helps foster cultural tolerance and relativism. In our current society, many groups and cultures face xenophobia, polarization based on ideologies, marginalization, and more. With the thought process inherent in anthropology, we can better understand the actions of cultures, which helps shift our perceptions in a more empathetic and informed direction.

Franz Boas, acknowledged as the father of American cultural anthropology, asked some important questions. What, he asked, was the nature of knowing? Who decided what was to be known? This raises further questions: What cultures or groups of people should be known? On a more practical level, we see this philosophy at work when tackling global issues like social justice, climate change, AI ethics, and health inequality. There are many problems in the modern world—many of which we are unaware of. This is because the people facing these problems are often unknown, as are the causes behind their struggles. Here, we see how the questions raised within the field of anthropology can help us address global issues more holistically.

We humans have evolved to become complex beings. This complexity is essential to understand if we wish to improve and bring progress to the human race. Anthropology allows us to observe and appreciate the vast intricacies of human nature.

If you are further interested in this topic, the Scientific American Journal has a very interesting article on it. I have linked it right below. 

Why Anthropology Matters | Scientific American