Marvin Harris

The ultimate source of human behavior is the human brain, but the ultimate source of human culture is the human body.

Pigs are not sacred because they are pigs; they are sacred because they are useful.

The most important thing about culture is that it is learned, not inherited.

Human beings are not born with culture; they acquire it through a process of learning and socialization.

The function of culture is to adapt human populations to their environments.

All cultures are rational in their own terms, given the constraints and opportunities of their environments.

The sacred cow is not an irrational belief, but a rational adaptation to a specific set of ecological and economic conditions.

Cultural materialism is a research strategy that attempts to explain the organization and evolution of human societies in terms of the material conditions of their existence.

The infrastructure determines the structure and superstructure.

The most powerful forces shaping human societies are the forces of production and reproduction.

Ideologies are often rationalizations for existing power structures.

The human mind is not a blank slate; it is shaped by culture and experience.

Anthropology is the study of human diversity.

The goal of anthropology is to understand the full range of human experience.

There is no such thing as a 'primitive' culture; all cultures are equally complex and sophisticated.

Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture is superior to all others.

Cultural relativism is the principle that all cultures should be understood in their own terms, without judgment.

The study of culture requires a holistic approach, taking into account all aspects of human life.

Human behavior is not simply a matter of individual choice; it is shaped by cultural norms and values.

The incest taboo is a universal cultural phenomenon, but its specific forms vary from society to society.