Claude Lévi-Strauss

The structural analysis of myth reveals the underlying logic of human thought.

The anthropologist is a witness to the diversity of human experience.

The human mind is not a blank slate, but a structured system.

The incest taboo is the foundation of human society.

The structural approach allows us to see the universal in the particular.

Myth is a language that speaks to us across cultures and across time.

The anthropologist must be a master of observation and interpretation.

The human mind is a system of transformations.

The study of kinship reveals the underlying logic of social relations.

The structural method is a way of understanding the hidden order of things.

Myth is a way of thinking about the world that is different from science, but no less valid.

The anthropologist must be a bridge between cultures.

The human mind is a generator of symbols.

The exchange of goods and services is a form of communication.

The structural method is a way of revealing the deep structures of human thought.

Myth is a form of poetry that expresses the deepest truths about human existence.

The anthropologist must be a humble observer, not a superior judge.

The human mind is a system of binary oppositions.

The gift is a fundamental form of social interaction.

The structural method is a way of making sense of the apparent chaos of human culture.