Anthropology Quote by Peter Sloterdijk
““Something is indeed returning today - but the conventional wisdom that this is religion making its reappearance is insufficient to satisfy critical inquiries. Nor is it the return of a factor that had vanished, but, rather a shift of emphasis in a continuum that was never interrupted. The genuinely recurring element that would merit our full intellectual attention is more anthropological than 'religious' in its implications - it is, in a nutshell, the recognition of the immunitary constitution of human beings.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Spheres Theory 2, 1998
The recurring element is the human immune-like constitution, not religion.
In simple terms: Human nature repeats like an immune system.
Key Takeaway
Recognize underlying human patterns.
Themes
philosophy
anthropology
culture
religion
Mood
critical
contemplative
Type
theoretical
intellectual
When to use this quote
- social analysis
- historical study
- psychology
- public discourse
Key Concepts
Immunology
continuum
shift of emphasis
Questions to Reflect On
- What does “immunitary constitution” imply for society?
- How does this view challenge religious explanations?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on metaphor may obscure practical implications.
![“Anthropology has always struggled with an intense, fascinated repulsion towards its subject… [The anthropologist] submits himself to the exotic to confirm his own inner alienation as an urban intellectual.” quote by Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe1/susan-sontag-332_alienation_anthropology-has-always-struggled-with-a_15322.jpg)
