Culture

A Culture is a social belief set held by a population.

• Context:
  • It can typically include Cultural Items, such as: Social Customs, Social Traditions, Social Values.
  • It can typically transmit Cultural Knowledge through social learning and various forms of communication.
  • It can typically provide Behavioral Guidelines that establish norms for appropriate actions in different contexts.
  • It can typically shape Identity Formation through shared narratives, rituals, and symbols that connect individuals to the larger group.
  • It can typically organize Social Relations through rules about kinship, hierarchy, and cooperation.
  • ...
  • It can often be characterized by Culture Measures, such as:
    • Power Distance Culture Measure for reflecting hierarchical structures in societies.
    • Individualistic vs Collectivistic Culture Measure for highlighting the focus on individual achievement vs group cohesion.
    • Uncertainty Avoidance Cultural Measure for indicating the level of tolerance for ambiguity and risk.
    • Masculinity vs Femininity Culture Measure for distinguishing between values of competitiveness and cooperation.
    • Long-Term vs Short-Term Orientation Culture Measure for demonstrating the prioritization of future rewards over immediate benefits.
  • ...
  • It can often be influenced by various factors including History, Geography, Religion, and Language.
  • It can often adapt to Environmental Changes through modifications in practices, tools, and knowledge systems.
  • It can often resolve Social Conflicts through established dispute resolution mechanisms and shared values.
  • It can often distinguish In-group Members from out-group members through boundary markers like language, dress, and ritual.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Homogeneous Culture to being a Heterogeneous Culture, depending on its internal diversity.
  • It can range from being a Traditional Culture to being a Progressive Culture, depending on its attitude toward change.
  • It can range from being a Local Culture to being a Global Culture, depending on its geographical scope.
  • It can range from being a Simple Culture to being a Complex Culture, depending on its social stratification and institutional specialization.
  • ...
  • It can have Material Components including physical artifacts, architecture, technology, and art.
  • It can have Symbolic Components such as language, belief systems, narratives, and values.
  • It can have Normative Components including moral codes, laws, customs, and expectations.
  • It can have Institutional Components like family structures, economic systems, political organizations, and religious practices.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Culture Types, such as:
    • Economic Cultures, such as:
      • Entrepreneurial Culture for promoting risk-taking, innovation, and market opportunity.
      • Corporate Culture for establishing organizational values, work ethics, and business practices.
      • Consumer Culture for shaping purchasing behavior, material values, and status symbols.
    • Artistic Cultures, such as:
      • Renaissance Culture for reviving classical aesthetics and promoting humanistic values.
      • Modernist Culture for rejecting traditional forms and exploring experimental expression.
      • Digital Art Culture for creating new creative practices through technological mediums.
    • Scientific Cultures, such as:
      • Empirical Research Culture for emphasizing observation, experimentation, and peer review.
      • Theoretical Science Culture for valuing mathematical modeling, theoretical consistency, and predictive power.
      • Applied Science Culture for focusing on practical solutions, technological innovation, and real-world impact.
  • Religious Cultures, such as:
    • Christian Culture for centering on biblical teachings, ecclesiastical traditions, and faith practices.
    • Jewish Culture for preserving Torah study, lifecycle rituals, and communal obligations.
    • Muslim Culture for organizing around Quranic principles, daily prayer, and religious law.
    • Hindu Culture for integrating diverse traditions, philosophical concepts, and devotional practices.
    • Buddhist Culture for cultivating mindfulness, non-attachment, and compassion.
  • Geographical Cultures, such as:
    • Western Culture for emphasizing individualism, rationalism, and democratic values.
    • Eastern Culture for valuing collective harmony, family obligations, and traditional wisdom.
    • East-Asian Culture for balancing hierarchical respect, group loyalty, and educational achievement.
  • National Cultures, such as:
    • American Culture for prioritizing personal freedom, self-reliance, and achievement orientation.
    • Japanese Culture for harmonizing social obligations, aesthetic refinement, and technological innovation.
    • Mediterranean Culture for centering on family bonds, expressive communication, and food traditions.
    • Malaysian Culture for blending diverse ethnic heritages, religious practices, and communal celebrations.
  • Organizational Cultures, such as:
    • Hierarchical Organization Culture for maintaining clear authority, formal procedures, and status distinctions.
    • Clan Organization Culture for fostering team cohesion, shared values, and collaborative decision-making.
    • Adhocracy Organization Culture for supporting flexibility, experimentation, and rapid adaptation.
    • Market Organization Culture for driving result orientation, competitive advantage, and performance measures.
  • Other Culture Types, such as:
    • Materialistic Culture for prioritizing physical possessions, wealth accumulation, and comfort.
    • Spontaneous Culture for valuing improvisation, emotional expression, and present-moment focus.
    • Greek Culture for contributing philosophical inquiry, democratic governance, and artistic achievement.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • An Ideology, which is a systematic set of political ideas rather than an entire way of life.
  • A Personal Belief System, which is held by an individual rather than a population.
  • A Biological Instinct, which is genetically determined rather than socially transmitted.
• See: Cultural Relativism, Religion, Ritual, Folk Culture, Social Organization, Education System, Sociology, Cultural Evolution Process, Cultural Adaptation, Cultural Identity.

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References

2023

• GBard
  • There are many different dimensions that can help to understand different cultures. Some of the most important dimensions include:
    • Cultural power distance measure: This dimension describes how different cultures view the distribution of power and status. High power distance cultures tend to be more hierarchical, with a clear distinction between those in positions of authority and those who are not. Low power distance cultures tend to be more egalitarian, with a greater emphasis on equality and participation.
    • Individualistic vs. collectivistic culture measure: This dimension describes how different cultures value the individual versus the group. Individualistic cultures tend to emphasize the importance of individual independence and achievement. Collectivistic cultures tend to emphasize the importance of group loyalty and cooperation.
    • Uncertainty avoidance cultural measure: This dimension describes how different cultures tolerate uncertainty and ambiguity. High uncertainty avoidance cultures tend to be more risk-averse and prefer clear rules and procedures. Low uncertainty avoidance cultures tend to be more tolerant of risk and ambiguity and are more comfortable with change.
    • Masculinity vs. femininity culture measure: This dimension describes how different cultures value traditionally masculine versus feminine traits. Masculine cultures tend to value assertiveness, competition, and material success. Feminine cultures tend to value cooperation, harmony, and quality of life.
    • Long-term vs. short-term orientation culture measure: This dimension describes how different cultures value long-term planning versus short-term results. Long-term oriented cultures tend to value thrift, perseverance, and investment for the future. Short-term oriented cultures tend to value immediate gratification and material success.

Dimension	Japan	Russia	India	China	Israel	Turkey	Nigeria	Indonesia	Mexico	Brazil	United States	Germany	Philippines	Denmark
Power distance	High	High	High	High	High	High	High	High	High	Low	Low	Medium	Medium	Low
Individualism vs. collectivism	Collectivistic	Collectivistic	Collectivistic	Collectivistic	Collectivistic	Collectivistic	Collectivistic	Collectivistic	Collectivistic	Individualistic	Individualistic	Collectivistic	Collectivistic	Individualistic
Uncertainty avoidance	High	High	High	High	Medium	High	Medium	High	Low	Low	Low	High	Low	Low
Masculinity vs. femininity	Feminine	Feminine	Masculine	Masculine	Masculine	Masculine	Masculine	Feminine	Masculine	Masculine	Masculine	Masculine	Feminine	Feminine
Long-term vs. short-term orientation	Long-term	Long-term	Long-term	Long-term	Long-term	Medium	Short-term	Medium	Medium	Short-term	Short-term	Long-term	Short-term	Long-term

2015

• (Wikipedia, 2015) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/culture Retrieved:2015-10-10.
  • Culture is, in the words of E.B. Tylor, "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society."Cambridge English Dictionary states that culture is, "the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time."

    As a defining aspect of what it means to be human, culture is a central concept in anthropology, encompassing the range of phenomena that are transmitted through social learning in human societies. The word is used in a general sense as the evolved ability to categorize and represent experiences with symbols and to act imaginatively and creatively. This ability arose with the evolution of behavioral modernity in humans around 50,000 years ago. This capacity is often thought to be unique to humans, although some other species have demonstrated similar, though much less complex abilities for social learning. It is also used to denote the complex networks of practices and accumulated knowledge and ideas that is transmitted through social interaction and exist in specific human groups, or cultures, using the plural form. Some aspects of human behavior, such as language, social practices such as kinship, gender and marriage, expressive forms such as art, music, dance, ritual, religion, and technologies such as cooking, shelter, clothing are said to be cultural universals, found in all human societies. The concept material culture covers the physical expressions of culture, such as technology, architecture and art, whereas the immaterial aspects of culture such as principles of social organization (including, practices of political organization and social institutions), mythology, philosophy, literature (both written and oral), and science make up the intangible cultural heritage of a society.

    In the humanities, one sense of culture, as an attribute of the individual, has been the degree to which they have cultivated a particular level of sophistication, in the arts, sciences, education, or manners. The level of cultural sophistication has also sometimes been seen to distinguish civilizations from less complex societies. Such hierarchical perspectives on culture are also found in class-based distinctions between a high culture of the social elite and a low culture, popular culture or folk culture of the lower classes, distinguished by the stratified access to cultural capital. In common parlance, culture is often used to refer specifically to the symbolic markers used by ethnic groups to distinguish themselves visibly from each other such as body modification, clothing or jewelry.Mass culture refers to the mass-produced and mass mediated forms of consumer culture that emerged in the 20th century. Some schools of philosophy, such as Marxism and critical theory, have argued that culture is often used politically as a tool of the elites to manipulate the lower classes and create a false consciousness, such perspectives common in the discipline of cultural studies. In the wider social sciences, the theoretical perspective of cultural materialism holds that human symbolic culture arises from the material conditions of human life, as humans create the conditions for physical survival, and that the basis of culture is found in evolved biological dispositions.

    When used as a count noun "a culture", is the set of customs, traditions and values of a society or community, such as an ethnic group or nation. In this sense, multiculturalism is a concept that values the peaceful coexistence and mutual respect between different cultures inhabiting the same territory. Sometimes "culture" is also used to describe specific practices within a subgroup of a society, a subculture (e.g. “bro culture"), or a counter culture. Within cultural anthropology, the ideology and analytical stance of cultural relativism holds that cultures cannot easily be objectively ranked or evaluated because any evaluation is necessarily situated within the value system of a given culture.

2000

• (Porter, 2000) ⇒ Michael E. Porter. (2000). “Attitudes, Values, Beliefs, and the Microeconomics of Prosperity.” In: * (Harrison & Huntington, 2000) "Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress."
  • QUOTE: Attitudes, values, and beliefs that are sometimes collectively referred to as “culture” play an unquestioned role in human behavior and progress. This is evident to me from working in nations, states, regions, inner cities, and companies at widely varying stages of development.

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