Philosophical Aspects of Culture - Essay Example

Culture Introduction Culture is among the few things in the world that behave been there for a very long time. In fact, anthropologists argue that culture has been there in the globe since the commencement of humanity irrespective of which theory of human existence in question. In order to appreciate the diverse facets of culture it is important to understand its scientific definition. Culture is the manifestations and arts of intellectual achievement of human beings. This implies that culture is communal and not individual This paper will discuss: How can individuals embedded in a cultural world be made to be conscious of the cultural system in which they are immersed? How it is that cultural concept are said to be “natural”, specifically, how does Sapolsky suggest that human beings are more unique than other animals? How does culture “emerge” in group interaction rather than being genetic or simply learned? How did efforts to impose “civilized” and “more advanced” methods to rice cultivation fail in Bali? What lessons might you draw from Lansing’s research? How to make people Conscious of their Culture One characteristic of culture is the fact that it is acquired and not inherited. This means that one can gradually acquire a culture irrespective of the geographical era of origin. One aspect that accompanies acquiring something such as a behavior is the fact that it happens involuntary. This means that one can assimilate a culture without knowing it. This has resulted in many people not being conscious of the culture they are embedded in resulting in negative consequences since they often develop behaviors that are negative in nature as a result of acquiring some cultures. This being the case it is of great essence to make people conscious about their culture. This is so since culture runs very deep. One way of making certain that people are conscious of the cultural system they are immersed into, is making them compare themselves with people who belong to the same cultural system. People who belong in the same to cultural system often possess identical values especially when it comes to ethics and morality. When one asks someone to compare their character with that of others in the same cultural setting then they will be able to know that they fit in to the same society since they will notice some similarities. Although culture is not inherited asking someone to trace their roots helps in making them conscious about their culture since people often acquire cultures that surround them. This is the reason why family members often belong to the same cultural system. Why Culture is considered to be Natural One aspect that accompanies culture is the fact that all concepts of culture are natural. Depending on interpretation this means various things. Firstly, the naturalistic aspect of culture means that culture occurs naturally or in other words on its own. In the equivalent way that we inhale oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide involuntary, it is just the same way that culture occurs or one belonging to a cultural setting. We do not choose which cultural setting to belong to. This is the reason why there are many natives in the human race who do not know the culture they belong to yet they belong in a certain cultural system. Another reason why cultural concepts are considered to be natural is because culture exists everywhere in the world. There is no place in the world with a human population of more than one person that does not have a cultural setting. Professor Sapolsky, during a 2009 address to a class stipulated that human beings are unique-ier and not unique from all other species (Bergeron). This he did by giving various examples. For instance, he suggested that if a human being would spend a lot of time with baboons only then he or she would start behaving just like baboons and would start seeing various aspects of human anatomy as abnormal. This was to show that the only thing that breaks up human beings from the of animals is culture. This was in contrast with the notion that many people have where human beings are unique to other species. This can be proved by the fact that some species of primates posses human behavior. For example, there is a species of primates that learns to perform activities such as fishing and smoking from studying what humans do. Culture is Emerged and not genetically acquired of Learned From the definition of culture it is obvious that no one person can belong to a cultural setting on their own. Through studying the characteristics of culture it emerged that culture is not genetically acquired. People usually have the wrong notion that they belong to certain cultures simply because they were born by parents of the same culture. What must be understood is that children do not genetically acquire culture form their parents. Most children belong to the same cultural system because it is the culture which surrounds them in their growing environment as a result of their parents. For example, United States of America is a land of many cultures. However, every migrant when comes to America develops a new culture different form that of their parents (Plotnicov 89). This is the reason why an American teenager of Chinese origin having different culture from that of their parent. There is a reason why culture cannot be genetically acquired or easily learned. This is due to the fact that culture involves interaction with many people which leads to the culture being acquired. In some cases culture is developed gradually and involuntary by a group of people. People tend to mistake the learning of behaviors with culture. This is quite different because culture constitutes much more than behavior. Effects of forcing Culture on People It is a known fact that culture cannot be forced upon a people. However, this was discovered and its effects understood recently. For example, during the 16th, 17th and 18th century, colonial powers tried to impose western culture on natives of countries they were colonizing. This is just an example of how misunderstanding culture can result in adverse effects. A recent example is when new methods of cultivation of rice were tested in Bali, Pakistan. This methods were said or be more “civilized or more advanced”. Introducing new methods of cultivating rise did not lead to the failure. However, the methods used to implement these advanced cultivation techniques are the ones that lead to the failure of the people assimilating such techniques. This is so because it seemed like a new culture was being forced upon the people. The methods were implemented in such a manner that each farming unit was independent of the others. However, this was wrong since the cultural system of such people was designed in a manner I which farming was done communally since long ago. One of the lessons learned from Bali is the fact that culture should not be forcefully imposed on a people. This is because culture grows and it takes a long period before it is acquired (Rojek 126). Another lesson form the case is the fact that the characteristics of culture are paramount and its naturalistic aspect will always be a determining factor (Morris 69). However, the case also brings out the fact that culture is adaptive and can change over a period of time. Another lesson is the fact that culture is dependant of factors such as environment, religion, and family structure (Shapiro 59). For example, the advanced methods of rice cultivation did not take root in the Bali people since it interfered with their cultures specifically family structures. Another lesson that comes out strongly is the fact that cultural systems often result in symbiotic relationships between various aspects of the society. Finally, the case reveals that the though modern era cultures are gradually replacing other cultures, it is still hard to completely destroy a deeply rooted culture. Conclusion Culture is very important in the lives of human beings because it is through it that various factors of life are determined (Pollock19). This means that the political, social and economic aspect of a country, community or region is determinant significantly upon culture. For example, it is through culture that people form social classes, political affiliations and preferences, and economic activities to peruse. For instance, in Arabic countries one will notice that business establishments dealing with either alcoholic beverages or pork meat do not exist in such countries since the culture which most of the citizens belong to does not permit the consumption of such commodities. It is with no doubt that culture is not simple but the opposite. Cultural systems exist all over the world but they all share different aspects. However, it is of enormous significance to recognize different aspects of culture. It is through this that people will be able to understand their cultures. In fact, cultural studies cannot be fully expounded as its anthropological and social study still continues to this date Work Cited Bergeron Louis. Stanford neuroscientist explores what is, and is not, unique about humans, 2009 Available at:://www.google.com/search?q=download+skype+for+windows&ie=utf 8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb Shapiro Harry . Aspects of Culture. New York: Books for Libraries Press, 1970 Morris Bertram. Philosophical Aspects of Culture. Montana: Kessinger Publishing, 2010 Rojek Chriss. Cultural Studies. New Jersey; Wiley, 2007 Pollock Della & Grossberg Lawrence . Cultural Studies. London: Routledge, 2012 Plotnicov Leonard. American Culture: Essays on the Familiar and Unfamiliar Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Pre, 1990 Read More