Within anthropology there exist a number of deep and enduring debates. In some periods one side of the debate is in ascendancy, and only a few voices rise to oppose the majority. At other times there are many conflicting voices to be heard, no consensus exists, and the best direction for future work is unclear to the field at large. The present period of anthropology seems to be characterized by a series of such protracted debates. The result is a great deal of fragmentation and argumentation, rapidly changing theoretical vocabularies, along with quick shifts of interest in the work of leading figures in the field.

One important part of John Whiting's contribution to anthropology has been a particular vision of anthropology. This vision is relevant to the current debates which engage the field. Whiting's vision involves a model of a psychological anthropology in which human biological potentials interact with culture and society, and in which research is carried out using a systematic comparative and cross-cultural methodology based on the testing of explicit stated hypotheses.

In some respects this vision is quite similar to current positions while in other respects it is different. My purpose here is to attempt to locate Whiting's work within a general map of the field. This map of the field concerns the underlying issues that I believe are the truly basic intellectual tensions that have for so long engaged anthropology. I say “attempt” because in trying to formulate and state what these underlying issues are, I find myself often uncertain and unclear.