This chapter is a standard introduction and overview of anthropology. Emphasis is placed on the perspectives of holism, the comparative method, and fieldwork. The concepts of cultural ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are introduced in this chapter rather than later in the book because these are overarching issues for the entire discipline—they are revisited in each chapter. The closing section of the chapter deals with anthropology as a science. Even with all of the postmodern issues in the field, the text states that knowledge can be gained through using the scientific method.