Often times we hear the expression, “That lady is highly cultured” why? It is because she speaks English, Spanish and French; appreciates modern art and listen to classical music like those of Beethoven, Mozart and she attends operas, concerts, and plays; visits the museum; and read classical books and best sellers. This is the popular view of culture, which refers to a state of refinement, of being well-versed in the arts, philosophy, and languages. To social scientist, this is the limited view of culture.
To them every member of the society is cultured. According to Beth Hess (Hess, 1988), culture is a person’s social heritage or the customary ways in which groups organized their ways in behaving, thinking, and feeling. Person from certain groups like for instance a group of people who just seat on the floor while eating, without asking which group they belong; we can easily conclude that they are Japanese, because of their eating behavior which determine their culture.
Culture it is transmitted to one generation to another through language. It presents people with ways of relating to others to their surroundings. Cultures represent the designs or recipe for living, the interrelated network of norms and roles (Sanchez, 1977). It compasses modes of thinking, acting, and feeling found in the society and includes everything an individual has acquired as a member of a society. It tells one what to do, what not to do and how to do things.
From our culture, we learn to determine what behavior is appropriate and what is inappropriate, what is good and what wrong behaviors are, and what are allowed and what are prohibited, and even which smells are pleasant and which are not. Culture enables people to cope with their physical and social environment and is mode of adaptation to the changing environment.
Work Cited
Berger, Peter. Introduction to Sociology, Doubleday and Co. , Inc. New York 1963. Hess, Beth B.. et al. Sociology 3rd edition, Mc Millan Publishing Company. 1988 Sanchez, Custodiosa. Contemporary Social Problems and Issues. National Bookstores. Manila. 1977