Taboo

Taboo means forbidden, though not necessarily 'evil'. Taboos are social norms which prevent people from committing sin. For example, the taboo against cannibalism helps enforce the law against murder.

A mark of differentiation between civilized countries and primitive tribes is that the higher religions explicitly require and forbid what is good and evil. For example, the Judeo-Christian tradition has the Ten Commandments. In primitive cultures, a taboo is often tacit.

Some anthropologists who promote cultural relativism have sought to introduce 'uncivilised' practices into 'civilised' society. The increasingly liberal National Geographic magazine (and especially its televized documentaries) take this approach.