culture and society as a complex whole explained
Summary
TLDRThis lecture explores the intricate nature of culture, emphasizing its omnipresence among human societies and its diversity. Culture, as defined by Sir Edward Tylor, encompasses knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, and customs, forming a complex whole. The lecture distinguishes between material culture, including tangible objects like tools and buildings, and symbolic culture, comprising intangible beliefs and behaviors. It outlines culture's characteristics: social, varying, shared, learned, transmitted, continuous, cumulative, gratifying, and idealistic. The discussion also touches on the importance of language in cultural transmission and the dynamic nature of culture, adapting to societal and environmental changes.
Takeaways
- 🌐 Culture is a complex whole that encompasses knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and habits acquired by humans as members of society.
- 🌟 Culture exists wherever humans exist, and no two cultures are exactly the same, highlighting the diversity and uniqueness of each culture.
- 🏺 Material culture includes physical objects like tools, weapons, machines, utensils, ornaments, religious images, clothing, buildings, and artwork that represent a culture.
- 💭 Symbolic culture consists of intangible aspects such as beliefs, values, norms, interactions, and communication that define a cultural group's way of thinking and behaving.
- 🤝 Culture is social, developing through social interaction and being a product of society, emphasizing the importance of community in cultural development.
- 🌈 Culture varies from society to society, with each society having its own unique set of customs, traditions, morals, values, and beliefs.
- 🔄 Culture is shared among members of a society, with individuals collectively possessing and participating in the cultural practices and beliefs of their group.
- 📚 Culture is learned and not inborn, with individuals acquiring cultural knowledge and behaviors through socialization processes.
- 🔗 Culture is transmitted among members of society, often through language, imitation, and instruction, ensuring the continuity of cultural practices.
- 🔁 Culture is continuous and cumulative, evolving over time and adapting to changing conditions, reflecting its dynamic and responsive nature.
- 🎭 Culture is gratifying and idealistic, fulfilling both biological and social needs, and providing a framework for societal members to strive towards shared ideals and values.
Q & A
What is the definition of culture according to Sir Edward Taylor?
-Sir Edward Taylor defines culture as a complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by men as a member of society.
Why is it important to understand culture in relation to its various parts?
-Understanding culture in relation to its various parts is important because culture is a complex whole that cannot be broken down into a set of characteristics. An appreciation of what culture is all about can only be achieved by considering all aspects of the system.
What is the significance of 'pagmamano' and the use of 'po' and 'opo' in Filipino culture?
-In Filipino culture, 'pagmamano' and the use of 'po' and 'opo' are signs of respect. These practices are unique to the culture and may not be understood in other societies, highlighting the importance of understanding cultural practices in their own context.
What are the two categories of culture as seen by sociologists?
-Sociologists see culture as consisting of two categories: material culture and symbolic culture. Material culture includes physical objects with social meaning, while symbolic culture encompasses ideas, ways of thinking, and behaving.
Can you provide an example of material culture from the transcript?
-An example of material culture mentioned in the transcript is the flag of the Philippines, which represents or symbolizes the culture through a tangible object.
How does symbolic culture differ from material culture?
-Symbolic culture differs from material culture in that it includes intangible aspects such as beliefs, values, norms, interactions, and communication. It represents the ideas and ways of behaving associated with a cultural group.
What are the seven characteristics of culture as outlined in the transcript?
-The seven characteristics of culture are: 1) Culture is social, 2) Culture varies from society to society, 3) Culture is shared, 4) Culture is learned, 5) Culture is transmitted among members of society, 6) Culture is continuous and cumulative, and 7) Culture is gratifying and idealistic.
Why is culture considered to be a product of behavior?
-Culture is considered to be a product of behavior because it develops through social interaction and is a result of the collective actions and practices of a society.
How does language play a role in the transmission of culture?
-Language is the main vehicle of culture, enabling the transmission of cultural ways from one generation to another. It facilitates the passing on of customs, beliefs, and values, making cultural transmission possible.
What does it mean for culture to be continuous and cumulative?
-Culture being continuous and cumulative means that it exists as an ongoing process that evolves over time. It accumulates historical growth and is subject to change, reflecting the dynamic nature of culture as it responds to the changing conditions of the physical world.
How does culture fulfill both biological and social needs of individuals?
-Culture fulfills both biological and social needs through its intellectual, artistic, and social ideals and institutions. It provides ways for individuals to satisfy their needs and desires within the context of their society.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Culture, Society, and Anthropology
The speaker recaps the previous discussion, which introduced the concepts of culture, society, anthropology, sociology, and political science. The focus then shifts to exploring culture in greater detail, with culture being described as a vast subject of study for sociologists. The definition by Sir Edward Taylor is emphasized, where culture encompasses knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, and customs acquired by individuals in society. Culture is a complex whole, meaning that understanding it requires considering various interconnected parts, as illustrated through examples like the Filipino customs of 'pagmamano' and the use of 'po' and 'opo.'
🌍 Material and Symbolic Culture
The speaker explains that culture consists of two categories: material and symbolic. Material culture includes physical objects like tools, weapons, buildings, and artworks that carry social meaning. These tangible items can be seen, touched, and used, such as the Philippine flag. Symbolic culture, on the other hand, refers to intangible ideas like beliefs, values, behaviors, and customs. Examples include Filipino practices like 'pagmamano,' using 'po' and 'opo,' and the sign of the cross. While these are not physically tangible, they are integral aspects of cultural expression.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Culture
💡Society
💡Material Culture
💡Symbolic Culture
💡Social Interaction
💡Cultural Transmission
💡Characteristics of Culture
💡Ethnocentrism
💡Dynamic
💡Cultural Ideals
💡Pagmamano
Highlights
Culture is a complex whole including knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and habits acquired by humans as members of society.
Culture exists wherever humans exist, and no two cultures are exactly the same.
Understanding culture requires considering it as a whole, not just individual aspects.
In the Philippines, practices like pagmamano and the use of 'po' and 'opo' as signs of respect are culturally specific and not understood in other cultures.
Society cannot exist without culture, as people possess, produce, and transmit culture.
Culture is made up of material culture (tangible objects) and symbolic culture (ideas, beliefs, values, norms, and behaviors).
Material culture includes tools, weapons, machines, utensils, ornaments, religious images, clothing, buildings, artwork, and other tangible objects.
Symbolic culture encompasses ways of thinking and behaving, such as language, norms, interactions, and communication.
Culture is social, varying from society to society, and is not uniform.
Culture is shared among members of a society and is not something an individual can possess alone.
Culture is learned and not inborn; we acquire cultural behaviors through social interaction.
Cultural transmission occurs through language, imitation, and instruction, with elders often passing it down to younger generations.
Culture is continuous and cumulative, subject to slow but constant variation and responsive to changing conditions.
Culture is gratifying and idealistic, fulfilling both biological and social needs and desires.
Culture consists of intellectual, artistic, and social ideals and institutions that members of society strive to achieve.
The next module will discuss ethnocentrism and other cultural concepts.
Transcripts
a good day students
uh in our previous discussion we have
defined the meaning of culture and
society in its general context
we tackled anthropology sociology and
political science
to help us understand better the concept
of culture society and politics so today
we will focus on the other details of
culture
culture is a huge study for sociologists
to start with so it exists anywhere
humans exist and no two cultures are
exactly the same
and according to sir edward taylor
culture is a complex whole which
includes knowledge beliefs arts morals
laws
customs and any other capabilities and
habits acquired by men as a member of
society so the complex whole
in the definition suggests that culture
cannot be broken down into a set of
characteristics
it means that an understanding of a part
can only be achieved in relation to
other parts of the system
so for an individual to better
understand the whole context of one
culture
it's not enough that one sees one aspect
of the culture so for example
in the philippines we are accustomed to
pagmamano and the use of po and opo as a
sign of respect so this will never be
understood in other culture as this
practice is not common to them
so this requires an approach where all
at once one can get an appreciation of
what culture is all about without being
bothered by its complexity or by any
definition that attempts to capture such
complexity so pakistan complex
okay so a society
which is a group of people that follows
or shares
same cultures
cannot exist without culture
people as members of the society possess
produce and also transmit culture but
they cannot consider themselves as
culture
because they are not the culture per se
but rather they are people and people
are considered as one of the agents of
culture
meaning
no culture can exist without social
interaction in society meanwhile society
cannot exist in the absence of people
who have learned to live and work
together and it is the people who
actually transmit and pass on the
culture
so now what makes up a culture
sociologists see culture as consisting
of two different categories
the material culture which is in
physical of any physical object to which
we give social meaning so this is the
first category of culture
this includes the objects associated
with a cultural group such as tools
weapons machines utensils ornaments
religious images clothing
buildings artwork and any other tangible
objects produced or used by humans so
when we say tangible
meaning it can be seen it can be used it
can be can be touched so for example
[Music]
[Music]
flag of the philippines so these are
considered as material culture or under
material culture since these are objects
and things that represent or
uh
yes that three percent a culture
next is the symbolic culture
symbolic culture on the other hand is
the ideas associated with a cultural
group this includes ways of thinking
such as beliefs values and and
assumptions and ways of behaving such as
norms interactions and communication so
example
language pagmamano the use of po and opo
as a sign of the impolite doing the sign
of the cross when passing by a church
urban leaving the house and the filipino
time concept so these are actually
ways of thinking
and behavior because these are
considered as intangible meaning you
cannot touch or you cannot see them you
can only act them out okay
so
let's move on to get to the
characteristics of culture
there are
seven characteristics of culture so
first
culture
is
social
because it is the product of behavior so
culture does not exist in isolation it
is actually a product of society
it develops through social interaction
and with this no one can acquire culture
without association with others okay so
next is
culture varies from society to society
every society has a culture of its own
that differs from other societies the
culture of every society is unique by
itself so cultures are not uniform
cultural elements like customs
traditions morals values and beliefs are
not constant because it differs in every
culture
the third is culture is shared culture
is not something that an individual
alone can possess
it is
uh
in sociological sense it is shared so
for example people of a society share
all customs traditions beliefs ideas
values morals and etc
and the next is culture is learned
culture is not inborn so when we were
born
in this
world
we know nothing about culture because
the culture is just learned so unlearned
behavior then is not culture so shaking
hands saying things etc
are cultural behaviors but not all
behaviors are learned but most of the
most of these can be
the next characteristic of culture is it
is transmitted among members of society
so cultural ways are learned by people
from others so many of these ways are
handed down from elders parents teachers
and others most likely individuals of
older generation while other cultural
behaviors are handed upon to elders
transmission transmission of culture is
made possible by language
language is the main vehicle of culture
and transmission of culture may take
place also through imitation as well as
through
instruction the next is culture is
continuous and cumulative so how do what
do we mean by this one culture exists as
a continuous process it does not stop it
continues to progress so in its
historical growth it tends to become
cumulative so ralph linton called
culture the social heritage of men so no
culture ever remains constant or
permanent it is subject to slow but
constant variation
likewise culture is responsive to the
changing conditions of the physical
world hence it is dynamic that is why
there are some cultures that are no
longer practiced or no longer visible
okay
and the last is culture is gratifying
and idealistic
it provides proper opportunities for the
satisfaction of our needs and desires
our needs both biological and social are
fulfilled in cultural ways
culture consists of the intellectual
artistic and social ideals and
institutions where members of the
society profess and strive to confirm
so these are
the characteristics of culture and
in the next module
we will be
talking
about the concept of
ethnocentrism and other concept of
culture
[Music]
Weitere ähnliche Videos ansehen
Culture and its Characteristics
UCSP-Chapter 2.3
MATERI #01 - STUDY LINTAS BUDAYA / CROSS CULTURE UNDERSTANDING
ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF
Pengertian dan Penjelasan tentang Manusia dan Kebudayaan | Materi ISBD
Understanding Language & Scripts: Art & Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik EP13 | UPSC Essentials
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)