1answer.
Ask question
Login Signup
Ask question
All categories
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Social Studies
  • Business
  • History
  • Health
  • Geography
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Computers and Technology
  • Arts
  • World Languages
  • Spanish
  • French
  • German
  • Advanced Placement (AP)
  • SAT
  • Medicine
  • Law
  • Engineering
Rina8888 [55]
3 years ago
5

What is culture? answer in your OWN words.

History
1 answer:
aivan3 [116]3 years ago
7 0
A friend of mine just asked me about this, so I have lots of thoughts about it. This may be deeper than you need, but here goes: My initial feelings about culture lead me to think of simply a “way of life” but if I think about it just a bit more, I notice that the word “way” connects to the idea of a path or perhaps even a journey – as in “let’s go this way” or “you go your way, and I’ll go mine.” Of course there is a collective nature to culture, so culture is like a collective journey or shared path. But I also get a feeling of boats on a river. Each boat has a certain level of individual freedom, but collectively they are all floating down the same river, so there is a sort of shared movement and common history despite whatever individual movements or relationships there might be among or between the individual boats. And of course rivers have branches, so some boats follow one branch while other boats follow other branches, so shared histories diverge and thus different cultures have very different characteristics.

Getting a bit more philosophical/esoteric, I also get an image of the individuals in a culture existing like cells in body. Different cells belong to different bodies, but each body defines the context – the role, function , or “meaning” – of the individual cells. The “essence” of a brain cell is different than the essence of a liver cell, and these differences in essence are correlated with their different roles – but these roles, in turn, spring from their function in the overall body – and this is what culture does; it is the larger “body” or context that defines a great deal of our essence as conscious individuals. Just as there is a degree of literal truth in the old saying “You are what you eat,” I sense a degree of literal truth in the idea that we are, to a significant degree, constituted by the culture in which we live. Our bodies are constituted by the materials we ingest, and our minds are constituted by the “psychical material” that we ingest, and the contextual meaning of this “mental food” comes from or culture. I want to emphasize the word ‘constituted’ because it is a lot stronger than just saying “influenced by” – it gets at the idea that our culture becomes part of our actual, deep, essence.

As for examples from my own life…well…since I am a philosopher, a great deal of my life IS thinking about stuff like this, so in a way, I have been speaking from my own life this whole time. For various reasons stemming from my interest in philosophy of mind, I do not believe that there are any such things as isolated (or isolatable) conscious individuals. A major part of the essence of a conscious individual is the context which provides the systems of meaning-relations that constitute the very nature of consciousness. Consciousness, I believe, is culturally constituted. Without culture there is no consciousness, and without consciousness, there are no selves, no egos. Without my consciousness there is no “me” as the individual that I am. But I know you are asking for something more personal, so let’s see…here is one concrete example: I was raised in a culture that values monogamy and devalues alternative lifestyles. For various reasons I have protested against this cultural mainstream. To borrow from my boats/river metaphor, you might say that my wife and I have spent a lot of time “swimming up stream” on this issue. Part of our role in life – one of the labels defining who we are as individuals is our membership in “alternative lifestyles”. But notice that this definition of who we are – this aspect of our identity – only has meaning in the context of a culture that values monogamy. Even tho we don’t flow with the majority, our lives are still to some extent defined by the flow of the majority – the overall flow of the culture that gives our status as “protesters” the very meaning that it has. We are who we are because of the culture, even when we don’t flow with the culture. It is part of our very essence as individuals, and we cannot abandon this essence no matter how hard we try (or at least we can’t abandon it without losing our selves in the process).
Source(s):
Sorry if I’ve rambled a bit. I’ve taken classes on hermanutics, semotics, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, etc. I don't consciously remember much of anything from these classes (I just don’t have a memory for details), but I guess I must be learning something along the way, cuz me can sure talk big words ;-) I guess you could say that the verbal diarrhea you are now experiencing is another example from my personal life. It is who I am. I am the crazy dude who spouts nonsense all over the place – the one you’d probably be embarrassed to bring home to meet your mom
You might be interested in
Document illustrating an early form of confederate government'
muminat

Answer: articles of confederation

Explanation:

After the independemce of the United States from Great Britain, the Articles of Confederation was a written document that outlined the roles of the federal government.

The Articles of Confederation created a government that was made up of a Congress, that was given the power to make alliances, sign treaties, appoint foreign ambassador, declare war, appoint military officers, and manage relations with the Indians.

3 0
3 years ago
In Neolithic cultures, what characteristics are associated with the female, in her role as Mother
qwelly [4]

Answer:

In Neolithic cultures women were thought to be equal as men.

Explanation:

  • Neolithic culture was started 12000 years ago when the agriculture was first introduced on earth.
  • In Neolithic cultures women used to stay at home and take care about the farms. There was no any tradition of men being the superior one.
  • The great emergence of female deities can be seen in that culture.
  • Farming, pottery, grinding etc. was the field where females were heavily engaged.
8 0
3 years ago
How successful were southern Republicans in reshaping southern society and government?
Troyanec [42]

Answer:

Among the other achievements of Reconstruction were the South's first state-funded public school systems, more equitable taxation legislation, laws against racial discrimination in public transport and accommodations and ambitious economic development programs (including aid to railroads and other enterprises).

Explanation:

hope it will help you

7 0
1 year ago
What was life like under Spanish rule in Nacogdoches?
alekssr [168]

Answer:

As the oldest town in Texas, Nacogdoches is home to plenty of history. ... Around 1700, the Spanish began establishing missions in and around Nacogdoches. ... Nacogdoches University served as a hospital for two years during this period.

Explanation:

8 0
3 years ago
During the early 1800s young women in new England new England were employed outside their home as-
MAXImum [283]
A slave to work on a farm
3 0
3 years ago
Read 2 more answers
Other questions:
  • U.S. military intervention failed to end a civil war in__. A.)Haiti.. B.)Somalia.. C.)Kosovo.. D.)Palestine.
    8·2 answers
  • How did the punic wars impact the plebeian and the patricians?
    14·1 answer
  • Oracle bones and system of writing
    15·2 answers
  • What specific restrictions were placed on slaves? Were the same restrictions place on free blacks?
    12·1 answer
  • Choose the correct answer to complete the sentence. During the final years of World War II in Europe, American and British bombi
    6·2 answers
  • Explain the reasons for U.S. neutrality during the 1920s and 1930s. How did ideas about neutrality change during the period from
    14·2 answers
  • Why do you think so many
    5·2 answers
  • If you speak of a right-wing party, you are speaking of a group which holds liberal views true or false
    15·2 answers
  • What time did the ancient Hebrew people face after migrating to Canaan?
    8·2 answers
  • How did enlightenment ideas influence Thomas jefferson
    5·1 answer
Add answer
Login
Not registered? Fast signup
Signup
Login Signup
Ask question!