What is culture?

[sadashivan]

Each living life is attached in culture whether humans or animals. Culture is natural development during birth process {what we call is behavior, that changes from individual to individual broadened when lives in family that family is part of a society (group or community), behavior of the group is culture} and its evolution is based on intelligence reaction to experiences and needs. For example initial stages of humans, behavior were similar to other animals lived in groups. Animals too live in groups (society or community) and their group behavior and practices is their culture. Human intelligence reacted stronger to experiences and needs that widened cultural status.

Culture is process to live in group. Each society has norms to follow by individuals in order to retain society strong and intact.

Culture is a process for identity of living creatures and cultural evolution raises the identity of society, benefit goes to its individuals.

Culture differentiates from group to group (as behavior changes) though major part remains same as human culture to differentiate from other species. This gives different identity.

For society’s culture there is one individual behind who broadens or establishes the cultural status.

Culture developed by beliefs, faith, practices, customs, way to live, art, intelligence, language, food habits, and economy etc; Cultural growth gave identity to the societies that named, Christian or Muslim or Hindu or Jewish or Buddhist etc; have different cultures. So when we come across art, customs etc; we identify what is their culture or which religion they belong. Cultural growth is community growth.

Differences of cultures of two societies when clash leads to war and stronger one overpowers the other to establish own culture that way it broadens its culture. An apparent example we have is western culture spread in most part of the world.



http://members.tripod.com/~sadashivan_n ... e/id4.html

[BMW-Guy]

Interesting thoughts.

If I had to describe what culture is in only one sentence, I would say that culture is the set of presupositions by which one or more people choose (either intentionaly or sub-consciencely) to live by.

[Impenitent]

culture is where the doctor scrapes the back of your throat to see if you have strep...

or boy george's old gig...

-Imp

[BeenaJain]

My dear impenitent, that is not culture but routine (examination). Inside distinct cultures we can have similar routines but the essential culture still varies. BMW-Guy is right summing up culture in one simple sentence, 'it's just the way you choose to live, consciously or sub-consciously.'

[Geist]

Culture by means of high and low culture is the distinguishing factor between those who understand their position and those who do not.

[BeenaJain]

Geist,
What you talk about I think is not culture but being being civilized or not. I know in the english language we can say that that person is cultured and this one is not, but when we say that, we mean to say that that person is civilized and this one is not. A person's culture is different from his being civilized or not. We all have our own cultures and within that we see civilized and un-civilized people within the same culture.

There is no culture big or small, high or low, good or bad. All cultures are justified the way they are because they all have their roots in eternity and so how could any be big or small, good or bad? All cultures represent the way people have evolved over the years. But if one culture affects or tries to force its beliefs on another because it thinks that it is supreme then that culture itself has a problem.

[Geist]

Sounds awfully liberal to me. Culture is a development and measure of how well a community is doing. The breakdown between of high and low culture in postmodernism reflects a mass commidity culture that has englufed a vast amount of the world's Western populace. I certainly do not consider many television shows culture, pop culture only if forced and certainly distuinguished from Picasso as low art and Picasso high art.

Culture's tend to engulf one another, it has always occured and always will. Today you have U.S. culture engulfing the world at the moment, a form of imperial culture that is misleading.

[young wonderer]

I believe the word 'culture' is the sum of distinctive characteristics of people's way of life. All people's lives are influence by their surrounding culture. Because of differing cultures colliding together, tension usually builds up between the 2 or more. Our culture brings out different life styles in us and often times we do not view matters on the same level as the other culture. As a result, there can be frequent misunderstandings, thus causing arguments etc. For example, a high class caucasian man takes a drive down town compton. You can pretty much picture what is going to happen next.

I agree with Geist with how our country is engulfing the world. Many other countries have adopted our lifestyles for reason of popularity. American movies/celebrities are perhaps the world's most influential form of entertainment around the world.

[BeenaJain]

.......Culture is a development and measure of how well a community is doing......

I have to disagree with you Geist. I don't think, "Culture is a development and measure of how well a community is doing." Culture is just a 'way of life and living,' as BMW-Guy suggested earlier and nothing more. I live the way I like and you live the way you like, that's culture. But I believe you are mistaking culture with productivity and progress, that's not culture because that is common to all cultures. Culture is something unique or why would we have different cultures?

[my real name]

I have to disagree with you Geist. I don't think, "Culture is a development and measure of how well a community is doing." Culture is just a 'way of life and living,' as BMW-Guy suggested earlier and nothing more. I live the way I like and you live the way you like, that's culture. But I believe you are mistaking culture with productivity and progress, that's not culture because that is common to all cultures. Culture is something unique or why would we have different cultures?

Shouldn't "culture" be defined as something regarding a community, not so much as regarding individuals? How else would we speak of "cultures" and "sub-cultures"? I have heard culture being defined more like the sum of all intellectual output of a society. It is the what the community shares as to their way of life.

Regards,
my real name

[BeenaJain]

When I said I and you I meant the community as a whole but taking us as an example. You represent your community and I do mine!