Generative Anthropology

From Generative Anthropology

Note: This website is a work in progress.

What is Generative Anthropology?

Generative Anthropology (GA) is a field of study based on the hypothesis that the origin of human language happened in a singular event. The discipline of Generative Anthropology centers upon this original event which Eric Gans calls the Originary Scene. This scene is a kind of origin story that hypothesizes the specific event where language originated. The Originary Scene is powerful because any human ability: our ability to do science, to be ironic, to love, to think, to dominate, etc can be carefully explained first by reference to this scene of origin.

Because The Originary Scene was the origin of all things human; Generative Anthropology attempts to understand all cultural phenomena in the simplest terms possible: all things human can be traced back to this hypothetical single origin point.


Generative Anthropology (GA) is a hypothesis about the origin of human culture. The hypothesis provides a radically minimal and powerful vocabulary that transcends both reductionist biological accounts and overloaded religious accounts of the origin of the human.

This wikipedia serves as an interconnected glossary of terms for students of this new human science. A good starting place is the Originary Scene.

About this Site

The goal of this website is to create a comprehensive GA learning resource, including:

Get Started

Interested in learning about GA? Here are some resources to get you started: