What according to you is a Culture?

[simonhaykin]

In your opinion what makes up a culture? Define a culture? What factors make up a culture?

[Ratbag]

There is a strict definition of cuture, trying to remember it. It was presented to me when studying whale behaviour, they are one of the few species proven to actually have a culture as individuals living in diferent areas perform different dances and songs, East coast whales dance and perform in a certain way, West coast whales sing a completely different series of songs, the proof that this was a culture came when a west coast whale (these are all tagged and thoroughly studied with GPS trackers etc.) showed up on the East coast singing his tune, it was apparently a hit tune, because before the end of the season all the East coast whales were singing it. This was the way the definition of cuture was presented to me, a learned and not inherited skill particular to a group, and able to be passed on through interaction.

[Archaix]

Culture as I see it is a subset of social behaviour. Culture affects and is in turn affected by your relations to other humans, and manifests itself in pretty much everything you do or think. In archaeology, the word 'culture' usually replaces 'people' and 'race', and is almost synonymous with 'ethnicity' (the Dorset culture, a Romanised culture, etc)

Another thing about culture: societies have lots of them. While there's an American culture, there's strong regional (sub)cultures, different religious cultures, politically liberal and conservative cultures, and so on.

[Malcolm Wright]

There is a strict definition of cuture, trying to remember it. It was presented to me when studying whale behaviour, they are one of the few species proven to actually have a culture as individuals living in diferent areas perform different dances and songs, East coast whales dance and perform in a certain way, West coast whales sing a completely different series of songs, the proof that this was a culture came when a west coast whale (these are all tagged and thoroughly studied with GPS trackers etc.) showed up on the East coast singing his tune, it was apparently a hit tune, because before the end of the season all the East coast whales were singing it. This was the way the definition of cuture was presented to me, a learned and not inherited skill particular to a group, and able to be passed on through interaction.

Brilliant Ratbag - we're on the same page.
I was about the respond with the same answer.
I'm glad you know about whales. They are amazing creatures.

M.

[garyd]

A group of individuals , not necessarily human, who share common behaviorial responses to a given stimuli, and share a common language. The behavior is generally learned not genetic. The language in question need not be terribly complex.

[Archaix]

The language in question need not be terribly complex.

What do you mean by this? Which languages aren't complex?

[garyd]

Complex - one in which abstract ideas and thoughts are discussed and shared. To date, as far as we know the languages of the various members of the family cetacea are pretty much limited to basic survival; food, threats, and sex.

[Malcolm Wright]

What do you mean by this? Which languages aren't complex?

I think he may be referring to non-human language, which although we can't be certain, we tend to assume is not as complex as ours.
It is generally accepted that culture still exists where language is relatively simple.

M.

[garyd]

Think language in terms of communication. There is no doubt that creatures other than human beings comunicate within their own cultures as far as we know currently no creature other than human beings talk about things in the abstract. Other primates and the various members of the family cetacea appear to communicte for only four reasons to obtain food, establish social hierarchy, to warn of danger and to mate.

[Archaix]

I see now. Thank you both.

[Malcolm Wright]

Think language in terms of communication. There is no doubt that creatures other than human beings comunicate within their own cultures as far as we know currently no creature other than human beings talk about things in the abstract. Other primates and the various members of the family cetacea appear to communicte for only four reasons to obtain food, establish social hierarchy, to warn of danger and to mate.

Actually because some species of cetaceans are able to think abstractly, I highly suspect they also communicate abstractly. But I think you are right in that the abstract communication remains to be proven.

An interesting thing to ponder: bottlenose dolphins are far more adept at learning symbolic language and English words than we are at piercing the mysteries of their language.

M.

[Ratbag]

And elephants who appear to show reverence at the site of deaths of their own kind have been linked with abstract thought also... but that is a bit off topic sorry....

[garyd]

What appears to us to be reverence may, in fact, merely be a variation on simple threat response.

The fact that Dolphins can be trained to perform a wide variety of acts in order to obtain food does not necessarily indicate they themselves are engaging in abstract thought.

[Cd.]

All groups of people have culture. But what is probably a better question is what constitutes civilization?

I find it interesting that some of the greatest cruelties were committed by civilized people, yet the most basic of cultures, hunter gatherer societies such as the Bushmen, Australian Aborigonees, Solomon Islanders and so on, were humain societies. Aborigoniees did not know about the concept of war. Solomon Islanders shared all wealth and had no knowledge of personal property. For that reason there was virtually no violent crime in Somomon society .