Hérodote
Historian: every people thinks its own customs are the best.
Life
Herodotus of Halicarnassus (c. 484-425 BC) was a Greek historian, often called the "father of history". His Histories tell of the wars between Greeks and Persians and describe the lands and customs of the peoples he visited, among them Egypt. He reports what he is told without always believing it. He is notable for his attention to the diversity of customs, each people holding its own to be the best, and for his view of the Greek gods and oracles.
Main works
An account of the Persian Wars and an inquiry into peoples and their customs (approximate date).
In his own words
« For if it were proposed to all nations to choose which seemed best of all customs, each, after examination, would place its own first; so well is each convinced that its own are by far the best. »
εἰ γάρ τις προθείη πᾶσι ἀνθρώποισι ἐκλέξασθαι κελεύων νόμους τοὺς καλλίστους ἐκ τῶν πάντων νόμων, διασκεψάμενοι ἂν ἑλοίατο ἕκαστοι τοὺς ἑωυτῶν· οὕτω νομίζουσι πολλόν τι καλλίστους τοὺς ἑωυτῶν νόμους ἕκαστοι εἶναι.
« As for myself, although it is my business to set down that which is told me, to believe it is none at all of my business. »
ἐγὼ δὲ ὀφείλω λέγειν τὰ λεγόμενα, πείθεσθαί γε μὲν οὐ παντάπασι ὀφείλω
Positions
click a row to see the evidenceHe often sees divine jealousy and justice at work in the fall of the powerful, though cautiously.
Herodotus, Histories (c. 430 BC), 1.32 and 7.10
Each people holds its own customs best; Darius' experiment shows custom is "king of all".
Herodotus, Histories (c. 430 BC), 3.38