--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The real controversy comes with…" description: "\"The real controversy comes with anthropologists - not all, but some - who see themselves as studying culture, and they then see culture from the perspe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/hal-whitehead-26990_animal_the-real-controversy-comes-with-anthropo_1477822.jpg" --- # The real controversy comes with anthropologists - not all… ![“The real controversy comes with anthropologists - not all, but some - who see themselves as studying culture, and they then see culture from the perspective of humans, which is what they study. From their perspective, or, from some of their perspectives, it's sort of heresy to even talk about…” quote by Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/hal-whitehead-26990_animal_the-real-controversy-comes-with-anthropo_1477822.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/hal-whitehead-26990_animal_the-real-controversy-comes-with-anthropo_1477822.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/hal-whitehead-26990_animal_the-real-controversy-comes-with-anthropo_1477822.jpg) > “The real controversy comes with anthropologists - not all, but some - who see themselves as studying culture, and they then see culture from the perspective of humans, which is what they study. From their perspective, or, from some of their perspectives, it's sort of heresy to even talk about culture in any other animal. Others would say, "Yeah, you can talk about it, but our definitions of culture are so utterly different from yours and include things like values, and so on, which you've never shown to exist in any of these other creatures."” [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anthropologists debate whether culture applies only to humans or also to other animals, highlighting definitional conflicts. **In simple terms:** Debate over applying human cultural concepts to animals. Key Takeaway Clarify definitions before cross‑species cultural claims. Themes anthropology culture definition debate Mood curious analytical Type theoretical critical When to use this quote - academic conferences - cross‑species research - policy discussions Key Concepts human exceptionalism comparative analysis semantic boundaries Questions to Reflect On - How do we define culture universally? - Can animal behavior be truly cultural? A Different Perspective Some argue that cultural traits in animals are fundamentally different, limiting direct comparison. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Anthropology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropology/) [Controversy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controversy/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Heresy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heresy/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [ It’s this perspective of us as humans to look at our world through the lens of ‘normal’ \[that\] is one of the forces that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-this-perspective-of-us-as-humans-to-look-at-our-world-through/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Studying culture without experiencing culture shock is like practicing swimming without experiencing water.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geert-hofstede/studying-culture-without-experiencing-culture-shock-is-like/) [Geert Hofstede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geert-hofstede/) > [Do be true to yourself, whether it's bad doesn't matter. The important thing - you have to copy while you're studying. And culture is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-wood/do-be-true-to-yourself-whether-it-s-bad-doesn-t-matter-the-important/) [Beatrice Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-wood/) > [“There is no longer any class outside the class of character, and no history to put your faith in. You can actually live as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-howe/there-is-no-longer-any-class-outside-the-class-of-character-and-no/) [Fanny Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-howe/) > [“Purpose from God's perspective looks entirely different than purpose from culture's perspective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindee-snider-re/purpose-from-god-s-perspective-looks-entirely-different-than-purpose/) Cindee Snider Re > [“According to Herder, one cannot make such judgments. Judgments of good and bad are defined culturally and internally, in terms of each culture’s own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/according-to-herder-one-cannot-make-such-judgments-judgments-of-good/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Instead of looking for explanations for the fact of inequality, anthropologists should look for the explanation for the notion of equality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/instead-of-looking-for-explanations-for-the-fact-of-inequality/) [Nicolás Gómez Dávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [Anarchism and anthropology go well together because anthropologists know that a society without a state is possible because so many exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/anarchism-and-anthropology-go-well-together-because-anthropologists/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [The anthropologist must relinquish his comfortable position in the long chair on the veranda of the missionary compound, Government station, or planter's bungalow, where,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/the-anthropologist-must-relinquish-his-comfortable-position-in-the/) [Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/) > [The historical development of the work of anthropologists seems to single out clearly a domain of knowledge that heretofore has not been treated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-boas/the-historical-development-of-the-work-of-anthropologists-seems-to/) [Franz Boas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-boas/) > [...to make the world safe for democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/to-make-the-world-safe-for-democracy/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Because he did not have time to read every new book in his field, the great Polish anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski used a simple and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/because-he-did-not-have-time-to-read-every-new-book-in-his-field-the/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [The anthropologist respects history, but he does not accord it a special value. He conceives it as a study complementary to his own: one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-levi-strauss/the-anthropologist-respects-history-but-he-does-not-accord-it-a/) [Claude Levi-Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-levi-strauss/) > [Most anthropologists are doing straightforward ethnography, and should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-geertz/most-anthropologists-are-doing-straightforward-ethnography-and-should/) [Clifford Geertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-geertz/) > [ Anthropology has always struggled with an intense, fascinated repulsion towards its subject… \[The anthropologist\] submits himself to the exotic to confirm his own inner… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/anthropology-has-always-struggled-with-an-intense-fascinated/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) ## More by Hal Whitehead > [Studying the behavior of large whales has been likened to astronomy. The observer glimpses his subjects, often at long range; he cannot do experiments,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/studying-the-behavior-of-large-whales-has-been-likened-to-astronomy/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [But one thing that seems pretty clear when we look at human religion is that it's highly tied in with human culture. So if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/but-one-thing-that-seems-pretty-clear-when-we-look-at-human-religion/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [We believe we're seeing, in other animals, a process, or an attribute, that isn't fundamentally different from what we see in humans, so it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/we-believe-we-re-seeing-in-other-animals-a-process-or-an-attribute/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [Whales are cultural animals, and we're cultural animals, so although we shouldn't expect whales to do what we do, it doesn't seem unreasonable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/whales-are-cultural-animals-and-we-re-cultural-animals-so-although-we/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [What I mean by it, and roughly what most biologists who talk about culture mean by it, is either behavior itself, or information that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/what-i-mean-by-it-and-roughly-what-most-biologists-who-talk-about/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [Culture is not usually one of the criterion for personhood, but it has been argued that culture is sort of a medium for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/culture-is-not-usually-one-of-the-criterion-for-personhood-but-it-has/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [Conversation with animals could happen, but I think it would be easier for it to happen with creatures we share a bit more with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/conversation-with-animals-could-happen-but-i-think-it-would-be-easier/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [Religion's pretty pervasive in humans. And why it's pervasive in humans is debated a lot. There are indications of things that look like religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/religion-s-pretty-pervasive-in-humans-and-why-it-s-pervasive-in/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [Humans are particularly interesting; our culture is incredible, there's no doubt about that. In many respects, no other species matches ours. But in quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/humans-are-particularly-interesting-our-culture-is-incredible-there-s/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [I was very lucky. I was just finishing my PhD at Cambridge in 1981. This opportunity came up because whaling was drawing to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/i-was-very-lucky-i-was-just-finishing-my-phd-at-cambridge-in-1981/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [I don't like to be dismissive of whales speaking possibilities. There is a pretty New Age-y, poorly thought set of ideas about this going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/i-don-t-like-to-be-dismissive-of-whales-speaking-possibilities-there/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [I don't think in biology it's very controversial at all. Whether certain behavior is culture or is not culture is argued. I think virtually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/i-don-t-think-in-biology-it-s-very-controversial-at-all-whether/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [I never thought of that one, that linguistics could be driving cultural things. There are some thoughts that that does happen in humans, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/i-never-thought-of-that-one-that-linguistics-could-be-driving/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [Psychologists would say that the only two important forms of social learning are imitation and teaching, and they will spend time trying to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/psychologists-would-say-that-the-only-two-important-forms-of-social/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [It's kind of ironic that when you look at the evidence of intelligence and so on, a lot of it is anecdotal. A lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/it-s-kind-of-ironic-that-when-you-look-at-the-evidence-of/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) [Explore all 21 Hal Whitehead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The real controversy comes with anthropologists - not all, but some - who see themselves as studying culture, and they then see culture from the perspective of humans, which is what they study. From their perspective, or, from some of their perspectives, it's sort of heresy to even talk about culture in any other animal. 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