In actuality, I saw Herodotus as moving in the opposite direction. He opened my eyes and taught me about other people, different yet connected by the common bond of humanity. After listening to him speak and reading his book, The Histories , I gained more respect for the other civilizations. I remember a particular speech about the Egyptians and their customs. Though Herodotus repeatedly said that the Egyptians were peculiar and different, he did not do it in an ethnocentric fashion.
Ethnocentrism is the belief that one s race is superior to all others.
Then one day I heard Herodotus speaking of his travels to Egypt. Opposite to the customs of the Greeks, they ate outside and went to the bathroom inside. They even lived with their animals. Herodotus compared these actions to those of the rest of the known world, most importantly the Greeks. Later, I caught hold of a copy of Herodotus book and looked up the same subject.