What Is Culture?
Culture, in the broad sense of the word, means those characteristics that are specific to human beings. Sociologists define it as the totality of human behaviour, including language, ideas, values and systems of belief. It also includes customs, codes of conduct, institutions, habits, ways of working and living, tools, techniques, works of art, and rituals.
The cultural elements that make up a people are the result of a person’s environment and are acquired through communication, imitation and experience. They are passed on, usually unconsciously, from one generation to the next. Culture is a human way of life, and its values and traditions shape a person’s outlook and character. In this context, the term culture is often contrasted with “nature,” which refers to an individual’s innate temperament and basic abilities.
Human behaviour is powerfully shaped by culture, which may even be stronger than life itself. It is so strong that it can hold the sex urge back and achieve premarital chastity, or cause a man to disembowel himself in order to wipe out the stain of dishonour. It can even stifle hunger when the food is available, because a person refuses to eat something that is deemed unclean by his culture.
In anthropology, the word has also been used to describe the social structure of a particular group of humans. It has been compared to a system of laws or a social hierarchy, as some theorists have argued that certain cultures are more sophisticated than others in terms of arts, science and education, and that this sophistication is an indication of a higher level of culture.
However, other theorists have criticized this interpretation of the concept of culture, arguing that a society’s sophistication has nothing to do with its level of culture. They point out that a society’s sophistication can be measured in many other ways, including its ability to provide food and shelter for its citizens, the effectiveness of its health care system and its ability to innovate. It has even been compared to plant or animal culture, in which microorganisms are grown isolated from other organisms for the purpose of study.
Culture, in the broad sense of the word, means those characteristics that are specific to human beings. Sociologists define it as the totality of human behaviour, including language, ideas, values and systems of belief. It also includes customs, codes of conduct, institutions, habits, ways of working and living, tools, techniques, works of art, and rituals. The cultural elements that make up a people are the result of a person’s environment and are acquired through communication, imitation and experience. They are passed on, usually unconsciously, from one generation to the next. Culture is a human way of life, and its values and traditions shape a person’s outlook and character. In this context, the term culture is often contrasted with “nature,” which refers to an individual’s innate temperament and basic abilities. Human behaviour is powerfully shaped by culture, which may even be stronger than life itself. It is so strong that it can hold the sex urge back and achieve premarital chastity, or cause a man to disembowel himself in order to wipe out the stain of dishonour. It can even stifle hunger when the food is available, because a person refuses to eat something that is deemed unclean by his culture. In anthropology, the word has also been used to describe the social structure of a particular group of humans. It has been compared to a system of laws or a social hierarchy, as some theorists have argued that certain cultures are more sophisticated than others in terms of arts, science and education, and that this sophistication is an indication of a higher level of culture. However, other theorists have criticized this interpretation of the concept of culture, arguing that a society’s sophistication has nothing to do with its level of culture. They point out that a society’s sophistication can be measured in many other ways, including its ability to provide food and shelter for its citizens, the effectiveness of its health care system and its ability to innovate. It has even been compared to plant or animal culture, in which microorganisms are grown isolated from other organisms for the purpose of study.