▁existence ▁is ▁no ▁longer ▁a ▁world ▁that ▁I ▁like ." ▁The ▁Daily ▁Te legraph ▁said ▁in ▁its ▁ob itu ary ▁that ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ▁was ▁" one ▁of ▁the ▁domin ating ▁post war ▁influ ences ▁in ▁French ▁intellectual ▁life ▁and ▁the ▁leading ▁exponent ▁of ▁Struct ural ism ▁in ▁the ▁social ▁sciences ". ▁P erman ent ▁secretary ▁of ▁the ▁Ac adémie ▁française ▁H él ène ▁Car r ère ▁d ' En ca us se ▁said : ▁" He ▁was ▁a ▁think er , ▁a ▁phil os opher ▁... ▁We ▁will ▁not ▁find ▁another ▁like ▁him ". ▁ ▁The ories ▁ ▁Sum mary ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ▁sought ▁to ▁apply ▁the ▁struct ural ▁lingu istics ▁of ▁Ferdinand ▁de ▁S auss ure ▁to ▁anth rop ology . ▁At ▁the ▁time , ▁the ▁family ▁was ▁tradition ally ▁considered ▁the ▁fundamental ▁object ▁of ▁analysis ▁but ▁was ▁seen ▁primarily ▁as ▁a ▁self - cont ained ▁unit ▁consisting ▁of ▁a ▁husband , ▁a ▁wife , ▁and ▁their ▁children . ▁Nep he ws , ▁c ous ins , ▁a un ts , ▁un cles , ▁and ▁grand par ents ▁all ▁were ▁treated ▁as ▁secondary . ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ▁argued ▁that ▁a kin ▁to ▁S auss ure ' s ▁notion ▁of ▁lingu istic ▁value , ▁families ▁ac quire ▁determin ate ▁ident ities ▁only ▁through ▁relations ▁with ▁one ▁another . ▁Thus ▁he ▁invert ed ▁the ▁classical ▁view ▁of ▁anth rop ology , ▁putting ▁the ▁secondary ▁family ▁members ▁first ▁and ▁ins isting ▁on ▁analyz ing ▁the