--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more we claim to discriminate between…" description: "\"“The more we claim to discriminate between cultures and customs as good and bad, the more completely do we identify ourselves with those we would conde..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/claude-levi-strauss-8995_anthropology_the-more-we-claim-to-discriminate-betwee_1237302.jpg" --- # The more we claim to discriminate between cultures and… ![“The more we claim to discriminate between cultures and customs as good and bad, the more completely do we identify ourselves with those we would condemn. By refusing to consider as human those who seem to us to be the most “savage” or “barbarous” of their representatives, we merely adopt one of…” quote by Claude Lévi-Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/claude-levi-strauss-8995_anthropology_the-more-we-claim-to-discriminate-betwee_1237302.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/claude-levi-strauss-8995_anthropology_the-more-we-claim-to-discriminate-betwee_1237302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/claude-levi-strauss-8995_anthropology_the-more-we-claim-to-discriminate-betwee_1237302.jpg) > ““The more we claim to discriminate between cultures and customs as good and bad, the more completely do we identify ourselves with those we would condemn. By refusing to consider as human those who seem to us to be the most “savage” or “barbarous” of their representatives, we merely adopt one of their own characteristic attitudes. The barbarian is, first and foremost, the man who believes in barbarism.”” [Claude Lévi-Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-levi-strauss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Labeling cultures as good or bad reinforces our own biases and creates a self‑fulfilling cycle of dehumanization, turning us into the very “barbarians” we condemn. **In simple terms:** Judging cultures creates bias and dehumanization. Key Takeaway Question your assumptions about others. Themes bias culture ethics identity othering Mood critical challenging Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - cross‑cultural communication - education reform - media analysis Key Concepts anthropology ethics social psychology Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you hold about “the other”? - How can you practice empathy toward unfamiliar customs? A Different Perspective Human tendency to otherize can be hard to overcome. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anthropology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropology/) [Barbarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarian/) [Barbarism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarism/) [Cultural differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultural-differences/) [Cultural relativism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultural-relativism/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Ethnocentrism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethnocentrism/) [Good and bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-bad/) [Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/savage/) [Savagery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/savagery/) ## Related quotes > [“But what is identity really? What is it to ‘belong’ when we cast ourselves in the mold of a social group? 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