Modern science is coming to the same view that everything in the Universe has occult or manifest life. “Geological” refers to what is called in ordinary parlance inanimate matter – ordinary matter without life but of course even there life is occult. Then we come to botanical, plants where you have the first quivering of sensation and of life. Higher up is zoological, animals with life and in whom a rudimentary mind by way of instinct has developed. Dr. Ambedkar perhaps rather feels it below or derogatory to human dignity to include man also in the term “zoological“. Zoology comprehends all animals and man has been described as a social, political or philosophical animal, but a higher animal all the same. Perhaps Dr. Ambedkar feels that man should be assigned a separate category. I do not know whether anthropology includes ethnology also. Some of us are aware that many years ago during the British regime certain surveys were conducted in this country called ethnological surveys which showed the ethnic distribution of population in India. Their results have been incorporated in various history books. I do not know whether the science of anthropology would include this as well. Anthropos means man and anthropology will mean the science of man. If I am assured by the wise men of the Drafting Committee that ethnology is comprehended in the term anthropology I should not like to press my amendment. Otherwise it is an important branch of human science and if there is any doubt on that point, whether it does or does not include ethnology, I would certainly like to press my amendment and commend it to the House for acceptance.
