Which is the key assumption in Claude Lévi-Strauss's structuralism?
A) All myths can be classified as either good or evil.
B) The human propensity to classify phenomena in certain ways is acquired through enculturation.
C) There is a very specific role for human agency in culture, and the structure of cultural patterns determines that role.
D) Cultural patterns determine the human propensity to classify things in certain ways.
E) Human minds have certain universal characteristics that originate in common features of the Homo sapiens brain and lead people everywhere to think similarly regardless of their society or cultural background.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Claude Lévi-Strauss's key assumption in structuralism is that human minds have certain universal characteristics that originate in common features of the Homo sapiens brain and lead people everywhere to think similarly regardless of their society or cultural background. This is often referred to as "universal mental structures". Structuralism is based on the idea that culture and society are not random collections of customs and practices, but are underlying systems of thought with their own logic and rules that can be uncovered through the analysis of myths, symbols, and other cultural expressions.

Which Is the Key Assumption in Claude Lévi-Strauss's Structuralism