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Culture: Do Non-Humans Have A Culture?

Culture is defined as the shared way of life of a group of people, including both material and non-material aspects. It includes values, beliefs, norms, language, and ideas that are learned, shared, transmitted between generations, and constantly changing. A key aspect of culture is that it is a universal human phenomenon, with most societies sharing similar cultural institutions like marriage, family, religion, and economics, while also exhibiting variability between groups in how these are manifested.

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58 views5 pages

Culture: Do Non-Humans Have A Culture?

Culture is defined as the shared way of life of a group of people, including both material and non-material aspects. It includes values, beliefs, norms, language, and ideas that are learned, shared, transmitted between generations, and constantly changing. A key aspect of culture is that it is a universal human phenomenon, with most societies sharing similar cultural institutions like marriage, family, religion, and economics, while also exhibiting variability between groups in how these are manifested.

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arslan shah
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CULTURE

Culture is people’s way of life. It is their pattern of behavior, which has been
created by human beings. Culture includes: Intangible (non-material) items like
values, beliefs, norms, language, and ideas that govern the way of life. The way
we play our roles.
Tangible things – material objects. Human beings have created this way of life,
which includes both material and non-material objects. Hence some
Anthropologists call it as man- made part of the environment. Culture is the
patterns of behavior and the products of the patterns of behavior
Do non-humans have a culture?
Non-humans guided by instincts. They have a biological programming. Humans
guided by culture, which may be called as social programming. Culture is learned,
shared, transmitted, and it is changing.
Some specific features of culture:
Universality: Culture is universal. There is no society without culture. As part of
the cultures there are many aspects that are found in almost all the societies. For
example the institutions like marriage and family, religion, education, polity,
economy, and sports are found all over the world.
Societies have developed values, norms, beliefs, and other patterns of behavior
that govern the system of marriage and family. One could find such a pattern all
over the world, and the same is applicable to religion, education, political
behavior, economic behavior, and so on.
Variability: There is variability in the universals of culture. By looking at the
institution of marriage and family one could see so much of variation in it within
Pakistan, notwithstanding the differences in other societies. The arranged
marriages, love marriages, exchange marriages,marriages by purchase, marriages
within as well as outside the kin network, are all variations that are found in
Pakistan. Then one could see the differences in wedding ceremonies all over the
country. Joint families and nuclear families, single earner families and dual earner
families, patriarchal families and egalitarian families, patrilocal families and
matrilocal families are some other aspects reflecting the variability of family in
Pakistani society. Similarly one comes across variations in religion all over the
world. Kingship, dictatorship, democracy, parliamentary form of democracy or
presidential form, adult franchise or selective voting rights, voter age are all
variations in the political systems followed by different nations. Economic systems
also vary from the extremes of socialism and capitalism to any variation on the
scale.
Learned: Culture is learned through the process of interaction with others. It is
not inherited through the biological process. We learn to talk, to walk, and to act
as our elders train us. Nature has given us the potential to talk but we speak
variety of languages, which are all created by human
beings and there is so much of variation within as well as outside Pakistan. Also
human being have the capacity to learn a variety of languages. Similarly other
ways of life, which is culture, are learned.
Shared: Culture is not the property of one individual or of a group. It is shared
with other members of society. You are sharing T V transmission with others,
sharing a classroom with others, sharing the road with others, and sharing the
knowledge with others. You are sharing culture with others because you are a
social being.
Transmitted: Culture does not end with the death of a person or a group. During
its lifetime that individual or group tries to pass on its culture to the future
generation. This is how every new crop of babies does not start from a scratch
rather they build on what they have already received. That how culture grows and
that is how our culture becomes richer and richer.
Changing: Culture is continuously changing. The patterns of behavior transmitted
by one generation to another are continuously in the process of modification for
catering to the changing needs of time and demands of people. New technologies
are developed and are borrowed from other groups and societies. With the
increase in the contact between different societies the cultures are changing very
fast and may be moving toward some kind of global culture.
Three similar terms: Culture, Nation, and Society

Culture: Shared way of life.


Nation: A political entity within designated borders.
Society: The organized interaction of people in a nation or within some other
boundary.
Pakistan: nation and society, but may have many cultures.
Multicultural: Includes various ways of life that blend together.

Components of Culture

Symbols: Anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who


share culture. Whistle, flashing light, thumbs up are all symbols. Human beings
have the capacity to create symbols with different meanings associated with
each. These symbols are used as means of communication and thereby become
part of our language. Even the buildings, dress, the flag, and a type of color may
be taken as symbols indicating some aspect of human behavior as well as
society’s outlook. Red, green, white, blue, pink, each of the colors stands for
something in the society. Blue jeans are quite commonly used in Pakistan. Can
you find out that these are symbol of what?

Language: System of symbols that allows members of a society to communicate


with one another. Symbols may be oral and these could be written words. We
have oral cultural traditions. Human beings have developed different alphabet as
part of written language. Language is the major means of cultural transmission.

Values: Culturally defined standards of desirability, goodness, and beauty that


serve as broad guidelines for social living. What ought to be.
Examples of values: Equal opportunity, Achievement or success, Material comfort,
Activity and work.Science, Freedom, Physical fitness, Health, Punctuality, Wealth,
Education, Competition and Merit, Honesty, Dignity of labor, Patriotism, Justice
and Democracy. Environmental protection, Charity and Development. Sometimes
there could be inconsistency in the values which can lead to conflict.
Norms: Rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its
members. These are the shared expectations of the people that govern their
behavior. Proscriptive norms: Mandating what we should not do. Forbidding from
certain actions.
Prescriptive norms: What we should do.

Beliefs: Specific statements that people hold to be true. Values are broad
principles that underlie beliefs. Values are abstract standard of goodness, while
beliefs are particular matters that individuals consider to be true or false.

Mores and Folkways: W. G. Sumner gave these concepts.


Mores (MORE-ays): Society’s standards of proper moral conduct. Such standards
have been considered as essential to maintaining a way of life. These are the
notions of right or wrong developed by society.
Violation of mores brings a strong reaction from others.

Folkways: Society’s customs for routine, casual interaction. These are of less
moral significance. Examples can be: proper dress, appropriate greetings, and
common courtesy. People usually ignore the violation of folkways.

“Ideal” culture and “Real” Culture


Ideal Culture refers to practices and norms a culture is supposed to follow.e.g
Being a Muslim we must offer namaz 5 times.
Women must be treated equally
Every child should attain Education
Real Culture refers to practices and norms a culture actually follows.e.g
50 % children get Education
Material and Non-Material Culture
Material Culture : The tangible world of materials ( furniture, room, buildings )
created by a society.
Non Material Culture : The intangible world of ideas , values, beliefs , norms ,
knowledge, information created by a society

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