Culture Is Quite a Flexible and Fragile Phenomenon - Essay Example

College: World View Culture The term culture has a number of different meanings. However, its most significant meaning isthe one used in reference to human behavior. In this sense, behavioral scientists and anthropologists refer to culture as the full range of behavioral patterns that humans learn in the course of their interaction with each with and with their environment. Culture is quite a flexible and fragile phenomenon, a feature which gives it extensive dynamism. Therefore, it changes easily and can be easily lost because it only exists in the minds of people. Culture determines many aspects of the lives of people. It has a strong influence on government, formal language, architecture, and a host of other products of human creativity (O’Neil, 1 – 4). Human culture occurs in three levels. The first one is the collection of cultural traditions that are unique to a society. An example of this is Japanese culture. The second level of culture is a subculture. In societies composed of groups of people who have come from a number of different parts of the world, individuals usually retain their culture, which distinguishes them from the rest of society. The third level of culture is cultural universals, which consists of behavioral patterns that people learn and collectively share all over the world. Examples of cultural traits characteristic of cultural universals are; the use of gender and age to classify individuals within the society, and the division of labor on a gender basis (O’Neil, 4 – 7). Mythology Mythology is a body of myths possessed by a particular society. A myth is a narrative of a sacred nature that provides an explanation as to why the humankind or the world transformed to become as it is now. Myths usually contain supernatural characters and religious leaders of the society usually endorse them. Myths are part of the culture of a society and, therefore, play a decisive role in shaping that society’s behavioral patterns. This is especially because they substantially influence a society’s religious beliefs. Individuals view the myths of the society they belong to as the ultimate truth and anything contrary to the beliefs portrayed by this mythology is far from the truth (Armstrong, 16 – 18). Civilization Civilization is a controversial term that is used in various ways. It used to refer to the complex side of human cultures comprising science, technology, and division of labor. It is also put to use in a classical context in reference to law-governed and ordered societies, to distinguish them from savages, barbarians, and primitive peoples. More importantly, civilization is used synonymously with culture to refer to any clearly defined human society. Civilization plays a massive role in influencing individual perceptions and responses because it sets the standards against which people measure other societies (Durant, willdurant.com). World View World view refers to the complex of beliefs, perceptions and motivations that people acquire while they are still young and which considerably influence their interactions with other people and everything in their environment. A person cannot verbally express their world view, but it can only be deduced by other people through observation of that person’s actions. Most people are unaware of their world view because it consists of basic attitudes and feelings which exist as fuzzy assumptions in their minds. People usually acquire their world view early in life, and it is not easy to change it later. Culture, civilization, and mythology, influence the world view of individuals. For this reason, the world view of individuals often tends to follow the lines of societal groups. Members of a group of people in a society sharing the same culture will tend to have world views that are similar in many aspects. It is a person’s society that bestows upon them a culture, and with this culture, comes mythology which influences an individual’s religious beliefs. Thus, a person hailing from a society with strict rules of morality that bar women from wearing revealing clothing, will tend to disapprove of societies with cultures that allow this behavior (O’Neil, anthro.palomar.edu). Mythology has a strong bearing on the religious beliefs of people. In a world with numerous religions, the mythology that an individual inherits from his society will determine how he views other religions and how he interacts with individuals belonging to those religions. A person who has grown up in a religion that does not allow consumption of meat products will tend to disapprove of religions which allow it. Culture influences world view by setting limits on the standards of acceptable behavior. Therefore, an individual hailing from a culture that does not allow polygamy will have a negative view of cultures that allow this behavior. This negative view will extend to the people that practice that culture and, therefore, will affect the person’s interactions with them in a negative manner. The level of civilization of the society in which a person has grown up will profoundly influence his view of other societies, which are less civilized than his. They will tend to form negative stereotypes of the members of those societies, greatly influencing their interactions with them in a negative manner. My Personal World View My world view is a representation of the society in which I have grown up; characterized by a combination of little religious predisposition, weak cultural beliefs, and highly civilized social structures. Being brought up in a well off family in an entirely urban setting has enabled me to develop a world view that is quite open to other cultures, and religions, but less receptive to societies that are not as civilized as mine. I had a hard time getting accustomed to my college roommate who is studying on a full scholarship and is not from a well off family. Initially, I was very wary of him because I thought he would start to borrow things from me or even steal my things. However, after some time, I noticed that my perceptions about him are wrong, and he is quite a decent person. Despite this experience, I am still not accustomed to interacting closely with individuals of a lower class than me. This indicates that preformed world views are extremely difficult to change even when real life experiences prove them wrong. Thus, my personal world view is representative of the truth that world views are extremely difficult to change since individuals mostly acquire them when they are still quite young. Works Cited Armstrong, Karen. A Short History of Myth. New York: Canongate, 2005. Durant, Will. What is Civilization? Will Durant Foundation, 2004. Retrieved 4 Nov 2012, from http://www.willdurant.com/civilization.htm O’Neil, Denis. World View, 2012 Retrieved 4 Nov 2012, from http://anthro.palomar.edu/social/soc_2.htm O'Neil, Denis . "Human Culture." Human Culture, An Introduction to the Characteristics of Culture and the Methods used by Anthropologists to Study It 3. 19 (2012): 1-7. Print. Read More