Abstract

In this study I examine the correspondence between the demand of postmodern philosophy for “cultural pluralism” and the concept of culture in anthropology, as well as the related problems. Postmodernism, which argues for cultural pluralism, reduces culture into life styles of particular social groups. At the root of this reduction lies the concept of culture of social anthropology. The ideas of social anthropologists such as Strauss find their reflections directly or indirectly in the works of thinkers such as Lyotard, Feyerabend and Bauman. The emphasis of postmodernism upon the diversity of cultures presents an obstacle for the evaluation of both whatever is done in the name of cultures and their norms. The emphasis on the concept of “cultures” seems to justify one’s being oblivious to that human is “dignity”. Considering what connects us to one another and our “similarities” to be dangerous and emphasizing merely our differences gradually turn the world into an unliveable place