--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The single most important human insight…" description: "\"“The single most important human insight to be gained from this way of comparing societies is perhaps the realization that everything could have been d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/thomas-hylland-eriksen-114011_anthropology_the-single-most-important-human-insight_1409455.jpg" --- # The single most important human insight to be gained from… ![“The single most important human insight to be gained from this way of comparing societies is perhaps the realization that everything could have been different in our own society – that the way we live is only one among innumerable ways of life which humans have adopted. If we glance sideways and…” quote by Thomas Hylland Eriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/thomas-hylland-eriksen-114011_anthropology_the-single-most-important-human-insight_1409455.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/thomas-hylland-eriksen-114011_anthropology_the-single-most-important-human-insight_1409455.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/thomas-hylland-eriksen-114011_anthropology_the-single-most-important-human-insight_1409455.jpg) > ““The single most important human insight to be gained from this way of comparing societies is perhaps the realization that everything could have been different in our own society – that the way we live is only one among innumerable ways of life which humans have adopted. If we glance sideways and backwards, we will quickly discover that modern society, with its many possibilities and seducing offers, its dizzying complexity and its impressive technological advances, is a way of life which has not been tried out for long. Perhaps, psychologically speaking, we have just left the cave: in terms of the history of our species, we have but spent a moment in modern societies. (..) Anthropology may not provide the answer to the question of the meaning of life, but at least it can tell us that there are many ways in which to make a life meaningful.”” Thomas Hylland Eriksen ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human societies are diverse; modern life is a recent, fragile stage, and anthropology shows many ways to find meaning. **In simple terms:** Societies differ; modern life is new and fragile. Key Takeaway Explore multiple life paths and cultural perspectives. Themes culture history meaning modernity anthropology Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - education - policy making - personal worldview Key Concepts diversity human development comparative analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing diversity shape your values? - What can we learn from past societies? A Different Perspective Anthropology offers insights, not definitive answers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anthropology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropology/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Meaning of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-of-life/) [Meaningful life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful-life/) [Modern society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-society/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Philosophy of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-life/) [Way of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-life/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [“Society is full of possibilities, is this possible to make all to think like children then there will be no politics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-roy/society-is-full-of-possibilities-is-this-possible-to-make-all-to/) [Vikram Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-roy/) > [“You have to discover what makes you different in your society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-have-to-discover-what-makes-you-different-in-your-society/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [If we want a cohesive society, if we want people that are prepared to respect others who are different in our society, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-fraser/if-we-want-a-cohesive-society-if-we-want-people-that-are-prepared-to/) [Malcolm Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-fraser/) > [I'm interested in people who are not exactly the middle way, or who are trying something else because they cannot prevent themselves from being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-m-interested-in-people-who-are-not-exactly-the-middle-way-or-who/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [The Ice Nation is a pretty brutal place. They breed war heroes. The relationship between mother and child, in that world, is a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-mcgowan/the-ice-nation-is-a-pretty-brutal-place-they-breed-war-heroes-the/) [Zach McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-mcgowan/) > [Any society where it's a crime or a hassle to be different is a society based on psychological fascism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/any-society-where-it-s-a-crime-or-a-hassle-to-be-different-is-a/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [Saudi Arabia has also changed. People today are connecting with each other all across the world through small gadgets and television. It's a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sultan-bin-abdul-aziz-al-saud/saudi-arabia-has-also-changed-people-today-are-connecting-with-each/) [Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sultan-bin-abdul-aziz-al-saud/) > [“But in modern societies self-help has become the exception rather than the rule, whereas in international law it has remained the rule.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-in-modern-societies-self-help-has-become-the-exception-rather/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Modernity is the condition a society reaches when life is no longer conceived as cyclical. In a premodern society, where the purpose of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-menand/modernity-is-the-condition-a-society-reaches-when-life-is-no-longer/) [Louis Menand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-menand/) > [I think modern societies have to ask a very basic question: What strategies buy the most health for people? Doctors can do so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-think-modern-societies-have-to-ask-a-very-basic-question-what/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [“In modern societies, the reproduction of custom is no longer understood to be one of the chief purposes of existence, and the ends of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-menand/in-modern-societies-the-reproduction-of-custom-is-no-longer/) [Louis Menand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-menand/) > [“virus writers lack the basic social and moral values and the “well-formed consciousness” that are the hallmarks of civilized modern societies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-gregory/virus-writers-lack-the-basic-social-and-moral-values-and-the-well/) [Peter H. Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-gregory/) > [“Although the emotional and intellectual differences between the world’s peoples as individuals are slight enough, even a small shift in social behavior can generate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/although-the-emotional-and-intellectual-differences-between-the-world/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [Modern societies accepted the treasures and the power offered them by science. But they have not accepted - they have scarcely even heard -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-monod/modern-societies-accepted-the-treasures-and-the-power-offered-them-by/) [Jacques Monod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-monod/) > [The sale of sex in modern societies is not about spreading genes. Sex has been taken over by the memes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/the-sale-of-sex-in-modern-societies-is-not-about-spreading-genes-sex/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) ## More Anthropology quotes > [“Marriage," "mating," and "love" are socially constructed phenomena that have little or no transferable meaning outside any given culture. 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My parents divorced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-king/i-didn-t-major-in-anthropology-in-college-but-i-do-feel-i-had-an/) [Lily King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-king/) > [Anthropology is the only discipline that can access evidence about the entire human experience on this planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-brian-schiffer/anthropology-is-the-only-discipline-that-can-access-evidence-about/) Michael Brian Schiffer > [“All social interactions require some loss of freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erol-ozan/all-social-interactions-require-some-loss-of-freedom/) [Erol Ozan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erol-ozan/) > [“Morphological anthropology applied to the physical study of children, is also a strong element in the growth of the new pedagogy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montessori-maria/morphological-anthropology-applied-to-the-physical-study-of-children/) Montessori Maria > [There are savages without God in any proper sense of the word, but none without ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-savages-without-god-in-any-proper-sense-of-the-word-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anthropology was the science that gave her the platform from which she surveyed, scolded and beamed at the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-howard/anthropology-was-the-science-that-gave-her-the-platform-from-which/) [Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-howard/) > [It's always amusing to look at how something early in the 20th century was written in anthropology and how it's written now. There's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-geertz/it-s-always-amusing-to-look-at-how-something-early-in-the-20th/) [Clifford Geertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-geertz/) [Browse all 286 Anthropology quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropology/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The single most important human insight to be gained from this way of comparing societies is perhaps the realization that everything could have been different in our own society – that the way we live is only one among innumerable ways of life which humans have adopted. If we glance sideways and backwards, we will quickly discover that modern society, with its many possibilities and seducing offers, its dizzying complexity and its impressive technological advances, is a way of life which has not been tried out for long. 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