Relativity

One of the most fascinating aspects of ethnography and cultural anthropology that I find is the differences in what is perceived as the "real world" between, not only different cultures, but different social groups. In what I have been able to observe; "reality" is personal viewpoint that is fully "shaped on the previous experience and cultural dogma of the individual who experienced it." In the aftermath of the actual experience by the individual, the precieved experience will fall back upon previous symbolic images and their cultural interpretation, rather than remember exactly how the original experience played out. If something doesn't fit right, we can make it fit our dogma later. How? By reinterpretation.

To this end; most of my anthropological colleges are saying "Well DUHH!!!!!! :)

Symbolic Athropology has been around for a number of years now. We are constantly redefining our viewpoints how symbols work within a society. I myself gave a paper about this very subject and its relavence to the Jeffers Petroglyphs in sothern Minnesota in 2009. So how does this relate to epistemology? Reality is based upon the individuals experience and it intrepritation through their cultures knowlege and its limits as defined by their own known universe as defined by the cultural/religious dogma that the individual were raised in. Thus, what is real is dependent upon personal intrepretation of individuals life's experiences vs. the symbology and the religious dogma that they were brought up in.