They need a constant state of genetic change, so they “trade” with other species to adapt and adopt new genetic traits. To promote their very survival as a species, they must continually foster diversity and cultural pluralism in themselves. The Oankali, by contrast, value difference and seek it out. When confronted with the extreme otherness of the physical appearance of the Oankali, humans reject them outright, with disgust and revulsion. This also leads to prejudice against those seen as outsiders, others who belong to a different group. Lilith learns that one of the primary reasons that humanity was fated to destroy itself is its innate hierarchical nature, its unavoidable tendency to view all people in terms of hierarchy. One of the main themes of the novel is the idea of otherness.
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