Lesson 7: Meaning of Culture

Definition

• It is the sum of all the forms of art, of love, and of thought, which, in the course of centuries, have enabled man to be less enslaved." - Andre Malraux
• Culture refers to the set of beliefs, practices, and learned behavior whereas society encompasses people who share mutual beliefs, values, and ways of living.
• A society is defined by the culture we share especially the individual characters.
• Morality finds its root in 'mos' which means custom which on the other hand governs social and cultural norms.
• So, does our culture predefines our morality or ethical principles? (Piyali Mitra).
• Culture affects our perception, Culture influences our behaviors, and culture shapes our personality.

Culture Affects Perception/Behaviors

• Culture is the invisible bond that ties people together.
• It refers to the pattern of human activity.
• The art, literature, language, and religion of a community represent its Culture.
• Our cultural values and beliefs manifest themselves through our lifestyles. Our moral values represent our culture.
• The importance of culture lies in its close association with the ways of thinking and living.
• Differences in cultures have led to diversity in people from different parts of the world.
• Culture is related to the development of our attitude.
• Our cultural values influence how we approach living.
• According to the behaviorist definition of culture, it is the ultimate system of social control where people monitor their own standards and behavior.
• Our cultural values serve as the founding principles of our life.
• They shape our thinking, behavior, and personality. How we perceive things is largely affected by our judgment skills, preconceived notions, attitude, and emotions. In perceiving something as good or bad, our biases play a role and so does our way of thinking.
• Our culture determines the structure of our thinking, which influences our perceptions.
• People who belong to cultures that promote individualism tend to look at only the main aspects of a situation.
• Our culture forms the framework for our thoughts and behavior.
• The ideas ingrained in our minds by our culture influence the way we perceive people and situations.
• ex. women from male-dominated societies perceive men to be superior. Women from cultures that dictate that their clothing should cover the entire body and even their faces, may think of a skirt or a low-cut dress as provocative.
• Research has shown that our culture does play a role in the way our brain processes information and then in one’s behaviors.
• Ex. bayanihan and its essence is helping eventually will lead individuals to help others, especially with needs.

Cultural Relativism

• principle of regarding the beliefs, values, and practices of a culture from the viewpoint of that culture itself.
• the view that moral or ethical systems, which vary from culture to culture, are all equally valid and no one system is really "better" than any other.
• These customs cannot be judged either incorrect or correct, right or wrong. Therefore, any opinion on morality or ethics is subject to the cultural perspective of each person.
• Ultimately, this means that no moral or ethical system can be considered the "best, " or "worst," and no moral or ethical position can be considered right" or "wrong."
• No Universal and objective truth in Ethics is acceptable, only the customs and practices of different societies and groups exist, only the basis of their moral codes and standards.

Ethnocentrism

• Any judgment is based on bias or prejudice. Considered one culture to be superior to the other cultures
• Ex. In our society, one tribe has the feeling of being inferior and superior to the other cultures, indigenous people which some claim inferior only because they are not open to cultural integration with the other cultures. The Aetas may believe they are not the same as people in the urban or rural areas, they may feel inferior to or feeling superior to others with the reason they don't want to mingle with them.

Cultural Relativism not Tenable in Ethics

• Different cultures have various moral codes which lead to conclude that there are no universal truths.
• No universal truths in ethics by virtue of claims from each culture.
• Hence, since each one's differences in practice and beliefs, no such thing as a standard allegation of what is right and wrong, therefore it is subjective.
• If the moral claim cannot be judged objectively or universally then it means that there is no universal truth in ethics, relativists.
• In this case, it may be two or more claims exist, one is the approval of the claim, the other disapproval of the latter claim

Various elements of cultural relativism, serve as their claims:

• Different societies/tribes have different moral codes.
• These moral codes determine what is right or wrong within society.
• No objective standard is to be employed to judge one moral code better than the other.
• The moral code in our society has no special status, it is but among many.
• It may be arrogant to judge the conduct of other people, but we should maintain the attitude of tolerance or respect towards the practices of other cultures.

Ethics

• A society that embraces the notion of no ultimate right or wrong, will lose the ability to make judgments at all.
• Tolerance, therefore, becomes an "ultimate good" in and of itself, which is contradictory to the entire idea of relativism. Heinous crimes such as rape and murder demand a moral judgment-- but strict cultural relativism cannot say that such things are always wrong.
• In practice, cultural relativism cannot overcome the boundaries of logic, nor can it override the sense of morality inherent to mankind.
• We instinctively know that some things are wrong, so cultural relativists attempt to tweak their philosophy to fit that need.
• Declaring certain actions "mostly" wrong, or "mostly" right is nothing more than making up the rules as one goes.
• Since this philosophy is nonsensical, there must be some fundamental absolutes of right and wrong, regardless of the opinions of any given society.
• Since there are disagreements among different cultures, we cannot assume that these truths are developed by one group of people.
• In fact, the only logical place for these concepts to originate is from something more universal, or at least more fundamental, than culture.
• Ethics' contention of universal and objective standards and norms to unify humanity which benefits all cultures not only a few.