What is Culture?
For a rational mind, it is natural to seek precise definition of the terms and nomenclature, that form the manifold of the thought and experience.
A standard onine dctionary provides the basic notions that are implied by the word Culture:
Culture
noun
- the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
- that which is excellent in the arts, manners, etc.
- a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period: Greek culture
- development or improvement of the mind by education or training
- the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture
- the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture
Anthropology
- the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.
Biology
- the cultivation of microorganisms, as bacteria, or of tissues, for scientific study, medicinal use, etc
- the product or growth resulting from such cultivation
- the act or practice of cultivating the soil; tillage
- the raising of plants or animals, especially with a view to their improvement
- the product or growth resulting from such cultivation
verb (used with object)
- to subject to culture; cultivate
Biology
- to grow (microorganisms, tissues, etc.) in or on a controlled or defined medium
- to introduce (living material) into a culture medium
From the perspective of a critical examination of culture, the definition for culture would be the logical starting point of the culture, and that definition should imply these essential notions that are presented above.
- Individual Qualities and the collective Qualities
- Growth, Improvement and Development
- Belief and value systems of the individual and the collective
- The collection of the artefacts, symbols, values, concepts and notions that are resultant of the culture and which in turn again reinforces the culture.
Necessity of the Culture Critic
The cultural artefacts are traditionally experienced rather than studied. Culture is the by product of a civilization, the effects of the intentional and extensional historic of the civilization. Yet, culture forms a vicious circle, culture tends to be the cause of the future effects. Culture has a deterministic role in the future of the civilization, the birth, growth, development and progress of the civilization are being controlled by culture. It becomes imperative for human beings to study culture appropriately, so that, we can judge (though from our limited experience and understanding), if the directions determined by culture is right or not.
Culture, the totatlity, of yesterdays, play a big part in the present. Civilization subjects the individual’s present to the culture, the totality of past, and thereby, individual is being chained to species own past. Culture would determine, where you will be educated, where and how will you be employed, it also dictates what you are going to breathe, eat and dream. And many a times, this dependence is unnecessary, devolving, detrimental and dangerous for the survival of the individual and the collective.
To make righteous choices and to build a better civilization, to carry the righteous notions of being and doing, it is imperative that we study the culture from a critical point of view, as the first step and then reengineer the culture. These two steps adds a feedback loop the culture system, thereby, making the system more intelligent. The power of sentience promotes us to become an architect of the future. Analytical thought, creative solutions, empowers humanity to play a an active role enables us to choose the directions of our evolution. And it would be for the first time in the history of evolution that an individual or a specie has taken an active part in evolving, a far better development, compared to the history of evolution, where in species and individuals are being subjected to the ‘tyrannical’ evolutionary forces. Probably this would be the first step in the evolution of the God or the emergence of the overman or the branching of homo sapiens evolving as a better species, is only what future can tell us. But the idea is simple.
Humanity has the necessary and the sufficient requriements to start playing an active role in the evolution, in choosing the directions to evolve. There is a necessity to inculcate, incorporate and internalize the notion of the righteous evolution, at all leves in the anthropologic specturm. Culture is the primary factor that program the individuals of a species it is imperative to reengineer culture so that we play an active role in evolution.
Culture as Symbols and Values:
Culture can be defined as the cummulated collection of the symbols, values, beliefs, and the resultant thought and material artifacts of a civilization. And the chronological ordering of such symbols and values, and how they changed over the course of time, can provide some insights to reengineer culture. A critical examination of these symbols, the questions of a curious and sane mind, would reveal us the the soul and the nature of culture.
Evolutionary perspective of Culture:
Cultural entities evolves very similar and parallel to the biologic life. Old symbols and values, discarded to the past, new symbols, values emerging and the cuture evolution shares the same bias that evolution favors. Symbols, ideas, notions, values, faiths that are favorable for evolution, are reinforced and those that are not favorable are inhibited. Thereby Culture evolution and biologic evolution form a closed loop, influencing each other.
Internalizing Evolution:
Growth, development, progress are natural and real – as real and natural as change. Evolution like time, seems to have a bias towards ‘growth’, ‘development’, ‘progress’. And for the first time in the natural history, a species has been presented with a power, that makes humans, the gods. At the least, the ancestors of Gods. For the first time, ithe invidual and species are permitted to participate in the cosmic design room. And this is a big turning in the evolution. All the factors that humanity is subjected to, need to be streamlined with this thought. Religion, culture, society, political systems, economic systems, value systems, belief systems, each and every aspect of the individual and the collective, need to be changed, to incorporate the ideas of playing an active role in the evolution. We can choose to change, or we can choose to let the nature take its own course, which in its natural flow, will bring the changes in all these systems.
A flatlander, would only be recognize the situation of reaching the same point as he starting from. It would be only upto his analytical mind to infer that the manifold, he is subejcted is not flat and that it is curved. We have now been given this opportunity, where in we have a certain idea of our existential manifold, and it is but natural to apply our knowledge, understanding and wisdom, in our day to day lives.
Culture Reengineering:
Civilization in the human context is diverse, numerous and dynamic. History reveals us, various civilizations, that existed and existing, and the interactions of these civilizations and cultures. And these interactions are not always, beneficial, symbiotic, cooperative, and harmonious. History also reveals us the suffering, war, death and destruction, when the cultural notions of these civilizations were in conflict.
In the modern world, and in the technological times, the borders between the civilizations are thinned down. And our condition permits us to promote symbiotic and harmonious interactions amongst civilizations and cultures. No more civilization is an island. We are not bound by the traditional constraints, that borded civilizations to their isolation. Information, people, matter, energy, resources, ideas, notions, symbols and values, travel freely across civilizations, more or less all around the planet.
We are in the Global Context:
The exponential growth of technology and science, the conception of a global civilization, can be seen emerging. No more are men bound to the borders that their ancestors drew in those yonder times, where communications happen through travelling messengers. The notions of a singular global civilization, the idea of a unified humanity and the notion of “human consciousness”, are here and are going to grow. And we need to reengineer the existing civilizational frameworks, like culture, to incorporate three basic premises, into the human subconscious mind. And there is a need to incorporate and code these ideals at the genetic level. So that the seond step of evolution starts, and the environment would be conditioned so as to promote the betterment of the indivudual and species. There is a need for spiritual reengineering of symbols and values, so that the new human being (human being 2.0) would carry the necessary and required spiritual acumen and the wisdoom, to handle the powers bestowd upon him. It is not appropriate to argue as to who provided these powers. Were they being created by a creator, or is it a probabilistic outcome, or is there any external phenomenon or other forces at work behind the curtains of the universe stage. It is pragmatic and pertinent to realize that humanity just reached the point, where humanity is presented with the power to participate in evolution in an active manner. And it is righteous to seize such a moment, adapt and enter the design rooms of the universe and be there. And it is righteous, egalitarian, humanistic and spiritual in the senses that the intentionality is the betterment of life, the quality of the human condition, at the level of an individual and at a collective species level.
It is imperative that Humanity has to have, one basic collection, to which each individual subscribe. The conception of a global civilization. The notion that I am part of the global civilzsation and that my participation and involvement is not limited by any local constraints, but be encompassing the globe, the planet. It is imperative to change the attitudes, conceptions, value systems to incorporate the three key notions:
- Planetary/Global Civilization
- Active Participation in Evolution.
- Choosing the Direction to Evolve.
Without the change, the existing system, would always play a detrimental role with development. For growth and betterment of life and human condition, would always be in conflict with the tradition. Without these cultural notions, science would always be in conflict with religion, truth would always be facing traditional falses and facts shall always be in conflict with the superstitions.
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