--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Culture tends to argue that it forbids…" description: "\"“Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is unnatural. But from a biological perspective, nothing is unnatural.”\" — Yuval Noah Harari" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/yuval-noah-harari-100_unnatural_culture-tends-to-argue-that-it-forbids-o_2971908.jpg" --- # Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is… ![“Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is unnatural. But from a biological perspective, nothing is unnatural.” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/yuval-noah-harari-100_unnatural_culture-tends-to-argue-that-it-forbids-o_2971908.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/yuval-noah-harari-100_unnatural_culture-tends-to-argue-that-it-forbids-o_2971908.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/yuval-noah-harari-100_unnatural_culture-tends-to-argue-that-it-forbids-o_2971908.jpg) > ““Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is unnatural. But from a biological perspective, nothing is unnatural.”” [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human cultures label certain behaviors as unnatural, but biology shows no inherent “unnatural” actions. **In simple terms:** Culture defines “unnatural,” but biology doesn’t. Key Takeaway Question cultural assumptions. Themes culture biology norms Mood inquisitive critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - ethical debates - policy making - education - media analysis Key Concepts social constructivism naturalistic fallacy Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify “unnatural” claims? - What role should biology play in cultural norms? A Different Perspective Cultural change can be slow despite biological evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“culture that obliges people to realise some possibilities while forbidding others. Biology enables women to have children – some cultures oblige women to realise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/culture-that-obliges-people-to-realise-some-possibilities-while/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“But from a biological perspective, nothing is unnatural. Whatever is possible is by definition also natural. 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Belfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-belfield/) > [It is unnatural for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/it-is-unnatural-for-a-christian-not-to-have-an-appetite-for-the/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [The most unnatural of the sexual pleasures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-unnatural-of-the-sexual-pleasures/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The ideal is unnatural naturalness, or natural unnaturalness. I mean it is a combination of both. 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Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Perhaps the seeds of false-refinement, immorality, and vanity, have ever been shed by the great. Weak, artificial beings, raised above the common wants and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/perhaps-the-seeds-of-false-refinement-immorality-and-vanity-have-ever/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [That a thing is peculiar; is no argument for its being blamable; since the most criminal actions are to a being like man not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/that-a-thing-is-peculiar-is-no-argument-for-its-being-blamable-since/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) Browse all 373 Unnatural quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is unnatural. 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