culture and society as a complex whole explained

Summary

This 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

00:00

📚 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.'

05:02

🌍 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.

Keywords

💡Culture

Culture, as defined by Sir Edward Taylor, is a complex whole encompassing knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and other capabilities and habits acquired by humans as members of society. In the video, culture is portrayed as an intricate system that cannot be simplified to a set of characteristics, highlighting its multifaceted nature. The video emphasizes that understanding culture requires examining it in its entirety, as it is not just a collection of traits but a way of life that is deeply intertwined with the social fabric.

💡Society

Society refers to a group of people who share the same culture, living and interacting with one another. The video explains that society cannot exist without culture, as it is the collective cultural practices, beliefs, and values that bind individuals together. Society is the context within which culture is both created and maintained, and it is through social interaction that culture is transmitted and evolves.

💡Material Culture

Material culture consists of the physical objects that a cultural group associates with social meaning. These include tools, weapons, machines, utensils, ornaments, religious images, clothing, buildings, and artwork. The video uses the example of the flag of the Philippines to illustrate material culture, emphasizing how these tangible items represent and reflect the values and identity of a culture.

💡Symbolic Culture

Symbolic culture encompasses the ideas and intangible aspects associated with a cultural group, such as beliefs, values, norms, interactions, and communication. Unlike material culture, symbolic culture is not physical and cannot be touched or seen but is expressed through behaviors and practices. The video mentions practices like 'pagmamano' and the use of 'po' and 'opo' in the Philippines as examples of symbolic culture, showing how these cultural expressions are deeply ingrained in social interactions.

💡Social Interaction

Social interaction is the process by which individuals communicate, cooperate, and influence each other within a society. The video highlights that no culture can exist without social interaction, as it is through these interactions that culture is both produced and transmitted. Social interaction is essential for the continuity and dynamism of culture, as it allows for the sharing and evolution of cultural practices and beliefs.

💡Cultural Transmission

Cultural transmission is the process by which cultural elements are passed from one generation to another or from one individual to another within a society. The video explains that this transmission primarily occurs through language, but also through imitation and instruction. It is through cultural transmission that societies maintain their cultural heritage and adapt it to changing conditions.

💡Characteristics of Culture

The video outlines seven characteristics of culture: it is social, varies from society to society, is shared, is learned, is transmitted among members of society, is continuous and cumulative, and is gratifying and idealistic. These characteristics provide a framework for understanding the dynamic and complex nature of culture, emphasizing that culture is not static but evolves over time in response to social needs and environmental changes.

💡Ethnocentrism

Although not deeply explored in the provided script, ethnocentrism is mentioned as a concept to be discussed in the next module. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view one's own culture as the center of everything and to evaluate other cultures based on one's own cultural perspective. This concept is relevant to the video's theme as it contrasts with the objective study of culture, highlighting the importance of understanding cultural diversity and avoiding cultural bias.

💡Dynamic

The term 'dynamic' is used in the video to describe the nature of culture, which is subject to change and evolution. Cultures are not static; they respond to the changing conditions of the physical world and the needs of the society. This dynamic quality is what allows cultures to adapt and survive over time, as illustrated by the video's discussion of how cultural practices can become obsolete or transformed.

💡Cultural Ideals

Cultural ideals refer to the intellectual, artistic, and social aspirations that guide a society's values and behaviors. The video suggests that culture provides a framework for fulfilling both biological and social needs, and that it consists of ideals and institutions that members of society strive to uphold. Cultural ideals are the driving force behind the continuity and development of a culture, as they inspire and motivate individuals to participate in cultural practices.

💡Pagmamano

Pagmamano is a Filipino custom of showing respect, particularly to elders, by grasping their hand and bringing it to one's forehead. This practice is mentioned in the video as an example of symbolic culture, demonstrating how certain behaviors are deeply ingrained in a culture's way of life. Pagmamano is a tangible expression of the Filipino cultural value of respect for elders, highlighting the interconnectedness of cultural practices and underlying values.

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

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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

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