Mathematical Function and Cultural Contract: Malinowski's Science of Culture

Wang Yanbin

Published in Chinese Journal of Sociology, 2024, Issue 1.

Abstract: Malinowski's participatory observation establishes the basic field method of modern anthropology. However, his methodology is not an isolated investigative technique but a systematic theory of the Science of Culture, rooted in the context of social theory. Malinowski's works engage in conscious dialogues with traditions such as social contract theory and the Durkheim school, revealing the resources he draws from the debate between individualism and collectivism. Influenced by the Durkheim school, he disagrees with its social substance theory and denies the existence of a collective consciousness beyond the individual. He advocates the functional theory of mathematical function based on Mach's empirical criticism, which opposes the metaphysical assumptions in classical anthropology and previous sociological theories, advocating for the universal correlation and interdependence of cultural elements. On this basis, Malinowski develops social contract theory using the "cultural contract" to construct the history of humans from a "pre-cultural" state to a cultural state, presenting the layered construction process of cultural and social organizations based on individual needs. Thus, culture is revealed as an organic whole. He overcomes the tendency of contract theory to substantiate individuals and points out that in reality, there is no real "natural person." Individuals are completely shaped by culture in functional relationships. Therefore, Malinowski emphasizes a mixture of individualism and collectivism, with society and individuals being closely and interdependently related to each other. The theory of cultural science forms the theoretical basis of Malinowski's field method, permeates his fieldwork, and significantly influences the exploration of early Chinese sociology and anthropology.

Keywords: Malinowski, Science of Culture, functional theory of mathematical function, cultural contract theory