--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A surprisingly good case could be made…" description: "\"“A surprisingly good case could be made that much of culture is hallucination. The whole intent and function of ritual appears to be a group wish to ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/oliver-benjamin-22640_culture_a-surprisingly-good-case-could-be-made-t_2651725.jpg" --- # A surprisingly good case could be made that much of… ![“A surprisingly good case could be made that much of culture is hallucination. The whole intent and function of ritual appears to be a group wish to hallucinate reality. —Weston La Barre” quote by Oliver Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/oliver-benjamin-22640_culture_a-surprisingly-good-case-could-be-made-t_2651725.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/oliver-benjamin-22640_culture_a-surprisingly-good-case-could-be-made-t_2651725.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/oliver-benjamin-22640_culture_a-surprisingly-good-case-could-be-made-t_2651725.jpg) > ““A surprisingly good case could be made that much of culture is hallucination. The whole intent and function of ritual appears to be a group wish to hallucinate reality. —Weston La Barre”” [Oliver Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-benjamin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Culture functions like a collective illusion, shaping reality through shared rituals and beliefs. **In simple terms:** Culture creates shared imagined realities. Key Takeaway Question your assumptions. Themes culture ritual perception Mood reflective curious Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - anthropology - media analysis - personal identity Key Concepts collective belief social construction Questions to Reflect On - What rituals shape your worldview? - How to distinguish myth from truth? A Different Perspective Rituals can reinforce harmful myths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Culture Hallucination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture-hallucination-2244522/) [Hallucinate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hallucinate-78229/) [Hallucinate Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hallucinate-reality-2244523/) [Hallucination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hallucination/) [Hallucination Intent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hallucination-intent-2244525/) ## Related quotes > [“The Yale anthropologist Weston La Barre goes far as to argue that 'a surprisingly good case could be made that much of culture is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-yale-anthropologist-weston-la-barre-goes-far-as-to-argue-that-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“In cases of organized and multi-perpetrator abuse when the abuse occurs in the context of rituals and ceremonies, some elements of the experience may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-galton/in-cases-of-organized-and-multi-perpetrator-abuse-when-the-abuse/) [Graeme Galton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-galton/) > [“The sound of her phone shocked her out of the dark world that was currently playing in front of her eyes from the book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allie-burke/the-sound-of-her-phone-shocked-her-out-of-the-dark-world-that-was/) [Allie Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allie-burke/) > [“I admitted. 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Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) [Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A surprisingly good case could be made that much of culture is hallucination. 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