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Franz Boas Quotes
1858–1942 Germany
Franz Boas (July 9, 1858 – December 22, 1942) was a German-American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology".
Germany Academics Anthropologists Linguists Also known as: Boas, Franz
Random Franz Boas quote
6 quotes
No one has ever proved that a human being, through his descent from a certain group of people, must of necessity have certain mental characteristics.
Race and Democratic Society (1945)
The behavior of an individual is determined not by his racial affiliation, but by the character of his ancestry and his cultural environment.
Race and Democratic Society (1945)
The passion for seeking the truth for truth's sake...can be kept alive only if we continue to seek the truth for truth's sake.
Race and Democratic Society (1945)
Then we shall treasure and cultivate the variety of forms that human thought and activity has taken, and abhor, as leading to complete stagnation, all attempts to impress one pattern of thought upon whole nations or even upon the whole world.
Courtesy, modesty, good manners, conformity to definite ethical standards are universal, but what constitutes courtesy, modesty, good manners, and definite ethical standards is not universal. It is instructive to know that standards differ in the most unexpected ways
Boas (1928)
Anthropology has reached that point of development where the careful investigation of facts shakes our firm belief in the far-reaching theories that have been built up. The complexity of each phenomenon dawns on our minds, and makes us desirous of proceeding more cautiously. Heretofore we have seen the features common to all human thought.
Franz Boas (1975)