As a scientist, objectivity is one of my most deeply held values. If we could just try harder, I once thought, surely we could each see the world as others see it and learn to respect one another's views more readily. But I learned from the Pirahas, our expectations, our culture, and our experiences can render even perceptions of the environment nearly incommensurable cross-culturally.

Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle (ed. Profile Books, 2010) - ISBN: 9781847651228