If man created culture then how can man be a creature of culture? This essay explores on man as a member of a universe, a dimension that views man as a part and not merely as the center.
"If man created culture then how can man be a creature of culture?"
There are millions of people on this planet, and part of anthropology is to categorize these millions into smaller, well-defined groups. These groups are divided based on language, country of residence, race and other characteristics, which differentiate one group of people from another. They are labeled as cultures, and characterized by many anthropologists as having a set of learned behaviors, morals, customs and ideas that they share as members of a particular society (Grolier's Encyclopedia, 1998). The problem is that cultures are diverse, population move in and out of countries bringing the influences of other cultures. A single country may vary from border to border due to the influences of its neighbors. There are also variations in culture, which depend on class or caste. In the movie Caste at Birth it is established that an individual cannot change their caste, and although status is socially defined, the relative importance of that status is a matter of opinion. Factors such as environment or an individual event can change aspects of culture. Furthermore, there is no definition that would successfully demonstrate that man is a creature of culture. Language and communication are critical elements in a culture. Through the use of language, we express our beliefs, expectations and standards. A person cannot fully understand a culture without fully understanding the language of that culture.
Essentially, without fully understanding a language, or by speaking variations of the same language, one will experience the culture differently and may create a sub-culture of beliefs. These beliefs may be close, but not identical to those of the greater population. Since social identity is learned through language, individuals who speak Gaelic regularly are going to establish a social identity that varies with those who speak English. In the aforementioned definition of culture, emphasis has been
There are millions of people on this planet, and part of anthropology is to categorize these millions into smaller, well-defined groups. These groups are divided based on language, country of residence, race and other characteristics, which differentiate one group of people from another. They are labeled as cultures, and characterized by many anthropologists as having a set of learned behaviors, morals, customs and ideas that they share as members of a particular society (Grolier's Encyclopedia, 1998). The problem is that cultures are diverse, population move in and out of countries bringing the influences of other cultures. A single country may vary from border to border due to the influences of its neighbors. There are also variations in culture, which depend on class or caste. In the movie Caste at Birth it is established that an individual cannot change their caste, and although status is socially defined, the relative importance of that status is a matter of opinion. Factors such as environment or an individual event can change aspects of culture. Furthermore, there is no definition that would successfully demonstrate that man is a creature of culture. Language and communication are critical elements in a culture. Through the use of language, we express our beliefs, expectations and standards. A person cannot fully understand a culture without fully understanding the language of that culture.
Essentially, without fully understanding a language, or by speaking variations of the same language, one will experience the culture differently and may create a sub-culture of beliefs. These beliefs may be close, but not identical to those of the greater population. Since social identity is learned through language, individuals who speak Gaelic regularly are going to establish a social identity that varies with those who speak English. In the aforementioned definition of culture, emphasis has been