ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 93 



Prof. Otis T. Mason then read a paper on The Definition of 

 Anthropology and its Sub-Divisions. 1 



A running discussion followed upon the various terms adapted to 

 the classification of the phenomena of anthropology. 



Forty-Eighth Regular Meeting, December 20, 1881. 



Mr. Lester F. Ward read a paper entitled The Anthropocentric 

 Theory. 2 The following is an abstract : 



The aim of the paper was to bring together into something like 

 logical order a few of the more salient facts which have been cited 

 in favor of and against the belief in the existence of a beneficent 

 agency in nature, more especially as operating in the direction of 

 the welfare and advantage of man, considered as the end toward 

 which the various processes of the universe have tended. These 

 statements of fact were accompanied by such explanations, qualifi- 

 cations, and other comments as seemed necessary to secure their 

 proper appreciation and their true bearing upon the problem. 



The speaker called attention to the fact that writers of a teleo- 

 logical bias are continually advancing what they regard as proofs 

 of intelligent design and benevolent provision in behalf of sentient 

 beings, especially man. Until within quite a recent period all phi- 

 losophy was strictly anthropocentric, and the lower grades of 

 creatures capable of enjoyment and suffering were wholly ignored ; 

 but in later times a few of this school have expanded their scheme 

 to embrace the animal world in general, rendering it zoocetitric 

 instead of anthropocentric, although the existence of large orders 

 of purely predatory creatures had proved a somewhat discouraging 

 fact for their philosophy to assimilate. 



Most of the examples that have been brought forward as estab- 

 lishing the operation of a designing intelligence and beneficent 



l ," American Naturalist," Vol. XVI., (January, 1882,) pp. 66-67. 

 2 This paper will form part of Chapter VIII of the author's work " Dynamic 

 Sociology," in press. 



