WHAT IS CULTURE? [AUDIO]

Summary

This script delves into the multifaceted concept of culture, tracing its etymology to the Latin 'colere' and exploring its various interpretations across different societies. It contrasts the German emphasis on high art and philosophy, the American focus on popular culture and societal structures, and the UK's blend of both. Scholars' definitions range from Tylor's broad framework to the semiotic perspective of culture as symbolic communication. The script also touches on cultural materialism and psychological approaches, highlighting the necessity to identify one's perspective when studying culture.

Takeaways

• 📚 The origin of the word 'culture' comes from the Latin word 'colere', which means both 'care' and 'cultivation', reflecting the dual aspects of human interaction with nature.
• 🌱 Culture is often seen as a broad and vague concept, encompassing various interpretations and understandings, which can lead to different definitions and perspectives.
• 🏛 Two typical meanings of culture are presented: one as the mastery and domination of nature by humans, and the other as the care and conservation of nature for its own sake.
• 🎨 In Germany, culture is associated with 'justice culture' and is manifested through great works in art, philosophy, and scholarship, highlighting the importance of intellectual achievements.
• 🏙️ The United States is described as a country deeply influenced by the bourgeois revolution, with a culture defined by capitalism and the absence of traditional feudal structures.
• 🇬🇧 The UK's cultural definition is a blend of German and American perspectives, combining the importance of great works with the social and economic structures of capitalism.
• 🔍 Edward Tylor's definition of culture as a 'complex whole' including knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, and customs has been criticized for being too all-encompassing.
• 🏛️ Other scholars like Malinowski have proposed that culture consists of both material artifacts and a system of customs, offering a more balanced view of culture's tangible and intangible aspects.
• 📜 The semiotic approach to culture views it as a text to be interpreted through symbols and signs, emphasizing the need for thick descriptions to understand cultural practices fully.
• 🌱 Cultural materialism, as proposed by Harris, focuses on observable and quantifiable factors such as ecological conditions and technology to explain cultural variation and change.
• 🧠 The psychological approach to culture since the 1950s sees it as a set of rules and information that influences individual behavior, acquired through social transmission like teaching and imitation.
• 🌟 In summary, culture is widely shared among members of a social group and is characterized by the shared virtue of belonging to that group, with definitions varying across different fields of study.

Q & A

What is the origin of the word 'culture'?

The word 'culture' originates from the Latin word 'colere', which means care or tending, and also refers to the occupation of a peasant.

What are the two typical meanings of the word 'culture' as discussed in the script?

The two typical meanings are: 1) Culture as the human mastery and domination of nature and oneself, and 2) Culture as the act of taking care of something, which is not necessarily about dominating it but rather conserving it for its own sake.

How does Germany define culture according to the script?

Germany defines culture as 'justice culture' or a culture that manifests itself in great works such as art, philosophy, or scholarship, often associated with educated individuals.

What is the American perspective on culture as presented in the script?

The American perspective on culture is influenced by the bourgeois revolution and is characterized by a society arranged in a consistently bourgeois fashion, with a focus on capitalists and rich individuals.

How does the United Kingdom combine the concepts of culture from Germany and the United States?

The UK combines the concepts by having a culture rooted in social processes, which includes the presence of a monarch and great works of art and philosophy, as well as popular British products and capitalists.

What is Edward Tylor's definition of culture?

Edward Tylor defines culture as a complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

What criticism does the script mention about Tylor's definition of culture?

Critics argue that Tylor's definition is too broad and vague because it lumps psychological items like beliefs with external items like art, making it difficult to distinguish between internal and external cultural aspects.

What is the semiotic approach to defining culture?

The semiotic approach defines culture as something historically transmitted, a pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, which requires interpretation through the investigation of symbols and signs.

How does Clifford Geertz define culture in the context of semiotics?

Clifford Geertz defines culture as a text that needs to be interpreted through thick descriptions, which involve looking at behavioral practices and describing them in sufficient detail to trace inferential associations between observed events.

What is the concept of cultural materialism as introduced by Marvin Harris?

Cultural materialism, according to Marvin Harris, is an empirical science that focuses on observable and quantifiable entities and events, such as ecological conditions and technologies, to explain cultural variation and change.

How does the psychological approach to culture differ from other approaches mentioned in the script?

The psychological approach views culture in terms of widely distributed, lasting mental and public representations that affect individual behavior, acquired through teaching, imitation, and social transmission.

What does the script suggest about the necessity of identifying one's perspective when studying culture?

The script suggests that when studying culture, it is important to identify and locate one's purpose and perspective, as the definition and understanding of culture can vary greatly depending on the field of study and the researcher's point of view.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Origins and Definitions of Culture

This paragraph delves into the etymology and multiple interpretations of the term 'culture.' It traces the word back to its Latin roots, 'colere,' meaning both 'care' and 'occupation of the peasant.' The text discusses the broad and vague nature of culture as a concept, acknowledging its complexity and the various ways it can be understood. It presents two main meanings of culture: one as a human mastery over nature and the self, and the other as a form of care and conservation. The paragraph also provides examples of how different countries, such as Germany, define culture, focusing on great works in art, philosophy, and scholarship, and introduces the notion of 'justice culture' in Germany, with notable figures like Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Habermas.

05:02

🏛 Cultural Perspectives: USA and UK

The second paragraph contrasts the cultural definitions and histories of the United States and the United Kingdom. It suggests that the U.S. is a product of the bourgeois revolution, having transitioned from feudalism to a society dominated by capitalists and the wealthy, such as tech moguls and former presidents. The paragraph illustrates this with a comparison to medieval feudalism, suggesting a modern 'corporate feudalism.' In contrast, the UK is described as having a blend of traditional feudal elements, such as the monarchy, alongside great works of art and philosophy. The paragraph also touches on the semiotic turn in the definition of culture, viewing it as a text to be interpreted through symbols and signs, with scholars like Geertz advocating for 'thick descriptions' to understand cultural practices fully.

10:07

🔍 Theories of Culture: Materialism and Psychology

This paragraph explores various scholarly definitions of culture, from Edward Tylor's comprehensive view of culture as a complex whole to more specific definitions by Herzkovitz and Needham. It also introduces the concept of cultural materialism by Harris, which focuses on observable and quantifiable material variables to explain cultural variation and change. Harris contrasts this 'etic' approach with the 'emic' approach, which attempts to understand culture from an insider's perspective. The paragraph further discusses the psychological approach to culture, where it is seen as a set of rules and information that influences behavior, acquired through social transmission. It mentions the work of Andrade, Richardson and Boyd, and Sperber in this context.

15:10

🌐 The Varied Landscape of Cultural Definitions

The final paragraph emphasizes the diversity of cultural definitions and the importance of context in understanding culture. It summarizes the various perspectives presented, including psychological, semiotic, cultural materialism, traditional, and realistic definitions based on national examples. The paragraph concludes by highlighting the necessity for researchers to identify their purpose and perspective when studying culture, as the definition and understanding of culture can vary greatly depending on the field of study and the researcher's point of view.

Keywords

💡Culture

Culture, derived from the Latin word 'colere', is a central theme of the video. It is defined in various ways, including as a human activity of caring for and tending to nature, and as a complex whole encompassing knowledge, beliefs, art, and customs. The script discusses how culture is both a means of domination and control over natural forces and human urges, as well as a form of conservation and preservation. The term is used to explore different societal interpretations and scholarly definitions, illustrating its multifaceted role in human life.

💡Pop Culture

Pop culture, while not explicitly defined in the script, is implied as a subset of culture that is popular or influential among the general public. It is contrasted with 'high culture' or 'elite culture', which is characterized by great works of art, philosophy, and scholarship. The video uses pop culture as a point of discussion to explore the broader concept of culture and its significance in society.

💡Great Works

Great works are mentioned in the context of German culture, where culture is associated with significant achievements in art, philosophy, and scholarship. The script cites famous philosophers and a painting, 'The Fall of Phaeton', to illustrate how great works are considered the epitome of cultural expression and mastery in certain societies.

💡Feudalism

Feudalism is discussed in the script as a historical societal structure that has evolved into different forms in modern societies. The video contrasts the traditional feudal hierarchy with contemporary societal structures, such as corporate feudalism in the United States, where power and influence are held by capitalists and corporate entities rather than a monarchical ruling class.

💡Capitalism

Capitalism is highlighted in the script as an economic system that has shaped American culture and societal structure. It is presented as a successor to feudalism, with capitalists and corporate entities taking the place of the traditional feudal classes. The script uses examples of wealthy individuals like Zuckerberg and Bezos to illustrate the influence of capitalism in defining modern culture.

💡Semiotic Turn

The semiotic turn refers to a shift in the understanding of culture as a system of symbols and meanings that require interpretation. The script mentions that culture can be viewed as a text that needs to be read and understood through the investigation of symbols. This concept is used to explore the idea that culture is not just a set of practices but also a system of communication and meaning.

💡Artifacts

Artifacts are physical objects that are part of a culture's body of customs and practices. The script references Malinowski's definition of culture, which includes artifacts as a fundamental aspect. Artifacts are used in the video to illustrate the tangible elements of culture that can be studied and analyzed.

💡Cultural Materialism

Cultural materialism is a theoretical approach introduced by Marvin Harris, which posits that culture can be understood through empirical science by focusing on observable and quantifiable material variables such as ecological conditions and technologies. The script uses cultural materialism to argue for a more objective study of culture, emphasizing the role of material factors in shaping cultural practices.

💡Ecological Conditions

Ecological conditions are highlighted in the script as one of the key factors in cultural materialism that influence cultural variation and change. The video discusses how the environment in which a group lives can shape its culture, using the example of different cultural groups living in distinct geographical areas.

💡Psychological Approach

The psychological approach to culture, as discussed in the script, views culture as a set of rules and information that influence individual behavior through social transmission. This approach emphasizes the role of learning, imitation, and interaction in the creation and perpetuation of cultural practices.

💡Social Transmission

Social transmission is the process by which cultural information is passed from one individual to another within a society. The script mentions this concept in the context of the psychological approach to culture, explaining how culture is created and sustained through teaching, imitation, and other forms of social learning.

Highlights

The origin of the word 'culture' is from the Latin 'colere', meaning care or tending.

Culture is a complex and vague concept with various understandings due to its generality.

Two typical meanings of culture: mastery over nature and taking care of something without dominating it.

German culture is defined by great works in art, philosophy, and scholarship.

American culture is characterized by the bourgeois revolution and corporate feudalism.

British culture combines elements of feudalism, art, philosophy, and capitalist products.

Edward Tylor's definition of culture as a complex whole including knowledge, belief, and customs.

Critique of Tylor's definition for being too inclusive and mixing psychological with external items.

Herzkovitz's definition of culture as the man-made part of the environment.

Malinowski's definition combining artifacts and customs as a well-organized unity of culture.

Semiotic turn in defining culture as historically transmitted patterns of meanings in symbols.

Gertz's approach to interpreting culture through the investigation of symbols for thick descriptions.

Cultural materialism by Harris focuses on observable and quantifiable material variables to explain cultural variation.

Harris contrasts the materialistic approach with emic approaches capturing culture from within.

Psychological approach to culture since the 1950s, viewing it as implicit rules and information affecting behavior.

Sperber's definition of culture as widely distributed, lasting mental and public representations in a social group.

The necessity to identify one's purpose and perspective when studying culture due to its varied definitions.

Culture is widely shared by members of a social group, characterized by shared belonging.

Transcripts

our first lesson

is defining culture and pop culture

and trending mayon what is the origin of

the word

culture culture is from the latin word

colere

which means care coleri also means

occupation of the peasant

to tend or tending there's also an

area in which people confront nature

it means overtly general and a vague

conception of culture

it also means various possibilities of

understanding it because it's too vague

and very generic however

the word kolari is still the root word

of

the modern day word culture

there are two typical meanings

of the word culture first is

the human beings coping with nature in

the sense of its mastery

it means the domination of both external

nature

in the sense of its mastery the

domination of the natural forces

in the human being itself and the

control of civilization

over human urges and the unconscious

it means that culture is something that

is being dominated

being controlled by human beings

but we ask whose substance

is essentially the mold or molding

of reality is it

nature's or is it the human being's

domination and control

second another aspect of the concept of

culture

is to take care for something

is always not equal to dominate it

like tending nature is not equal to

suppressing or exploiting it

rather the notion of care contains the

moment

of conserving something for its own sake

like conserving nature for nature's

sake conserving the earth for the

earth's

sake the idea that what human beings

acquire

and subject to their rule should not be

radically broken

or eradicated but rather simultaneously

preserved

in its own being

but despite these traditional

definitions of culture

we still ask so what is

culture

i will give you three examples

in germany it's called

justice culture or a culture that

essentially manifests itself in what are

called

great works or the educated

culture such as art philosophy

or scholarship if you look at the list

of names here

i know that they are familiar emmanuel

can't

hegel marx nietzsche heidegger

and habermas and if you look at the

painting that is the fall of phaeton

which was painted by a popular german

artist johannes

this is how the germans define culture

they base it on great works

again such as art philosophy or

scholarship

that's one definition of culture

another definition of culture is maybe

we could not

look at the country of the united states

of america

in a slightly blunt and exaggerated

manner adorno said

america is purely a country of the

berzwa revolution

it is a country that has not only been

successfully penetrated by this

revolution

but also one in which this revolution

constitutes the precondition of its

entire society

a country whose very foundation it has

been to arrange

society in a consistently bourgeois

fashion yeah

the united states has already gone far

away

from the feudal society i mean at one

point in the history of the united

states

they were under the rule of

the uk or the british monarch

today for the u.s there is no more king

nobles and lords knights peasants

or serbs but you know they have

capitalists

and rich people such as the owner of

facebook zuckerberg

jeffrey bezos of the amazon and their

former president donald trump

if we look at how

is the united states before and today

perhaps this is the perfect example

yes there they were not under the

monarchy today but if you look at it

from the medieval feudalism they

are somehow under the corporate

feudalism

the monarchs were replaced by central

bankers

the landed gentries were replaced by big

bunkers such as jp morgan

the clergy the archbishops the priests

were replaced by

corporate elites the royal ministers

were replaced by elected officials such

as the president

or prime ministers the merchants were

somehow replaced by top bureaucrats the

vessels were

replaced by top professionals such as

doctors entertainers

lawyers and

everyone else the workers

the students the soldiers

the common americans are at that level

so this is how they define

american culture

but i'll give you a third example

in uk there is this differences between

the two conception of culture

the conception of the german culture

and the american culture because in the

uk

the it is rooted in the actual social

processes

of both countries

like they have the monarch

or the british royalties and then they

have

many great works such as mr and mrs

robert andrews painting

and of course there are british

philosophers

francis bacon john locke bertrand

russell

so it is somehow a combination of

the feudalism the great art

and philosophy and of course

the popular british

products are capitalists it's just

cadbury twinings martin

spencer burberry so somehow

yes the germans have their own

definitions of

what culture is the united states has

defined its own

definition of culture and somehow the uk

is a combination of both the american

definition and the german definition

but let's look at the scholarly

definition

of culture apart from these examples

how do scholars define culture

according to edward tylor culture is

that complex whole which includes

knowledge

belief art law morals

custom and any other capabilities and

habits acquired by man

as a member of society it's basic

it's a combination of everything

however critics said that

tyler's definition packs in too much

lumping everything psychological items

such as belief

with external items such as art

therefore scholars have focused on

certain definitions

such as herzkovitz when he defined

culture as

the man-made part of the environment

something external and need

defined it as the total shared

learned behavior of a society

or a subgroup which is something

internal

but malinowski

adopted these two definitions

and formulated his own definition

that culture is a well-organized unity

divided into two fundamental aspects

it is a body of artifacts and a system

of customs

so it's a combination of herzkovitz and

needs definition

however there was this semiotic turn

of culture's definition gears

define culture as something historically

transmitted

pattern of meanings embodied in symbols

it's like culture is like a text

something that needs to be

interpreted through the investigation of

symbols

you know semiosis look at symbols and

signs

and for gertz we have to interpret

and investigate these symbols

for kurds the interpretation involves

the production of

thick descriptions like when you analyze

a culture

you have to what look at

the behavioral practices and describe

them

in sufficient detail to trace

inferential associations

between the observed events

for example it's not sufficient to refer

to an observed ritual as marriage

like we must recognize that natural

rights have very different secular

across social groups

and these must be described like

a catholic nuptial right is different

from an

islamic and from a christian

and maybe from alumad nuptial right

and according to girts we have to

describe

these however

cultural materialists believe that

this thick description that is proposed

by gears

thwarts explanation because the factors

that

determine social practices are largely

unknown to practitioners

like for instance i'm

i'm born and raised as a catholic and

then i would analyze or look at

the nuptial rights or the marriage

rights of

an islamic community somewhere in

mindanao

which is something unknown to me

how am i able to

justifiably describe

that event that social event

therefore cultural materialists are

proposing

a different way to look at culture the

concept

of cultural materialism by harris

according to harris cultural materialism

is an empirical science this is the

foundation of the cultural

materialist way of knowing like

epistemologically cultural materialism

focuses on those entities

and events that are observable and

quantifiable and that we

when we look at culture we have to look

at

what is observable and what is

quantifiable

for harry's these factors principally

involve

material variables such as ecological

conditions

in which a group leaves like where do

they live

like where are the islamic filipinos

live

the lumad filipinos live

where do the catholics live and the

technologies

available to it anything if you think of

technologies

any any technology that you could think

of

for them cultural variation and change

so the differences in culture and the

changes

can be best explained by these factors

the ecological conditions and the

technologies

without describing the richly elaborated

practices

narratives or psychological states

harris calls the materialistic approach

ethic

and contrasts it with emic approaches

which try to capture a culture from

within so according to harry's when we

look at culture

are you looking are you looking at it

from an insider's perspective are you a

member

of that islamic community

where you're trying to observe and

record a natural right or are you an

outsider

are you a catholic who has

never witnessed or who is never a part

of that community

and is trying to study that culture

so harris's basic approach to the study

of culture is to show how

emic or native thoughts and behaviors

are

a result of material considerations

harris focuses on practices that

contribute to the basic biological

survival of those

in society such as the subsistence

practices

technology and demographic issues

but of course the definition of culture

did not end with harris's cultural

materialism

because the psychologists are seeing

culture

in a different way as well thus

we have the psychological approach to

culture since the 1950s

according to the andrade culture is

often said to consist

in rules these rules are said to be

implicit because

ordinary people can't tell you what they

are

and according to richardson and boyd

culture

is information capable of affecting

individuals behavior

that they acquire from other members of

their species

through teaching imitation and other

forms of social transmission

that we create culture

by learning by imitating and

through social transmission because we

interact with each other

that's how they define it and according

to sperber

culture in terms of widely distributed

lasting mental and public

representations

inhabiting a given social group

so if we look at the definitions of

culture

we have psychological definitions we

have semiotic definitions

we have cultural materialism definitions

we have traditional definitions the

origin of the word culture

and then we have realistic definitions

based on the countries i have given as

an example

so what does this mean this means that

when we look at culture we have to point

out we have to identify and locate

what is the our purpose or what is the

purpose of looking at culture

and where do you come from

when you look at this culture are you

exploring culture on

the psychological aspect the social

aspect

the materialism aspect the semiotic

aspect

it's up to you you have to identify it

when you become a researcher

in the future if you're interested with

culture and you wanted to deal with this

there are many things to consider and

once we embark on a particular

definition or research or exploration

we have to narrow down our

focus because we cannot just

have a one-size-fits-all definition of

culture

the definition of culture would always

vary from one field of study

to another so in summary

most definitions characterize culture as

something that

is widely shared by members of a social

group

and shared in virtue of belonging to

that group somehow

the definitions they have given you they

share something

one is this culture is shared by

members of a social group of a

particular community

of a particular group of people and

there is the shared virtue of belonging

to that particular group by these

members

of that group or community

you