ABSTRACT
A few key features define anthropology as opposed to other forms of scientific knowledge: comparison, the ethnographic method, cultural relativism and a style of analysis which shows that some of the most important things in life and the world cannot be measured quantitatively. This chapter is a passionate defence of the anthropological approach, arguing that it is more important than ever in a world where reductionism, quantification and simplifications abound and predominate. In the second part of the chapter, the author delves into his own path into the subject, or vocation, of anthropology, emphasizing fieldwork as an existentially transformative experience as well as the potential of good anthropological texts to enable an entirely new perspective on the world.
