What is culture?

Civilization is artificial while culture is organic.

http://forum.stirpes.net/philosophy/729-culture-vs-civilization.html

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- Listen to Many...Speak to a Few -

FS - Hmm.. Well said....

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Reality is a Illusion Caused Due to Deficiency of Alcohol

I think we're allowed to call indigenous people (tribal societies) as primitive by our standards today, but I wouldn't call them uncivilized. I truly see some of the current democracies as half barbarian. (Oh and by the way, Barbarians have a civilization too, but seen as urban).

And I love watching "Dances with Wolves" over and over and over and...:)

Salam

Culture to me is a socially acceptable way of life…

or tradition that is passed on by generations

Idea and values or rather a rule for living…it’s kinda adapting to the environment we live in. Predominant character/attitude or ideas of people living in a particular region.

Civilization is a much deeper topic.. Civilizations can be distinguished from culture by their high level of social complexity ….. and by their diverse economic and cultural activities….civilization shows the agriculture, architectural, economic and social setup….some people who are still not civilized are called Primitives...they accuse civilizations of restricting human potential, oppressing the weak, and damaging the environment!

edifs ...me too never heard of something called cultural dress..I thought dressing is either trational/national

My guess is that I would want nothing to do with your culture Khalid the Tiger.

Never heard of a Cultural dress....

Traditional - Dress, food, festival, Dance

Cultural - ??? wht ever we can't define is culture.... or all this together is Culture???

I m sleepy..

Good Night you all...

Brain gives up at 12.....

C YA.... Yawn.....

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Reality is a Illusion Caused Due to Deficiency of Alcohol

There is a fine line between them ashwin, Like Dhoti is a traditional dress and not our cultural dress.

Hmm.. Yella.. there is always a next time... :)

Thanks for the invitation Panda... :) I am sorry I don cook.. else would have dared to invite you too.... :(

Ediff - True... But what is the difference between the two ???

You can interchange the words.. Tradition and Culture and the meaning wont change much..

Tradition like Culture are habbits or Rituals followed by Members of civilization for a decent time period..

Tradition we relate to past and culture can be used for the present too.... this is the only difference I could think of.....

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Reality is a Illusion Caused Due to Deficiency of Alcohol

I need you in my kitchen to clean all my plates :)...next time I'll invite you for a good stuff no worries Bro!

A culture becomes a tradition, so yes to your question.

Salam

Good Night CBD -

If Panda ellures me with such a delicious Menu.... the Culture of this forum is gonna change pretty soon... :)

Panda My fren... You remember you wanted to reduce 15 KGs???

Don you touch the Chocolate cake...

I ll help you reduce your wt... and keep tht cake away from you...

I ll clean the plate so well.. you ll never find a clue that the civilization of Choc late ever existed on tht plate....

You can thank me for this frenly gesture later....

Where do you stay My fren ??? Do I have to come or you ll drop in to my place and hand over the culprit of weight gain.... ?

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Reality is a Illusion Caused Due to Deficiency of Alcohol

Are traditions derived from culture? Or is culture a part of our tradition?

fish green salad and very tasty chocolate cake which I'm devouring here....no more bamboo :-/

Salam

PCG, Happy & Ashwin and all,

Good night! I have a long day tomorrow!

Be careful though, I will follow up later..this goes to you in particular Ashwin :P

Merci Panda... :)

So which Flavor Bamboos you had today ????

I mean in your Culture which flavor bamboos are most preferred for Dinner ....?

(Only for Panda - Jus ignore the last line mate... it is to make the others feel that I am not Hijacking the forum yet again and sticking to the topic stuff.....)

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Reality is a Illusion Caused Due to Deficiency of Alcohol

Bonne appetit :)

lol.. I am out for dinner nad see a post riot here...

Good..

CBD - Why did I compare the two?? Culture and Civilization.. jus to start a bloody conversation.... there was nothing then to discuss as everyine was agreeing to everyine.. and I had a very strong urge to hijack it.. but then tried to control my instincts and the results are real beautiful...

Pls don't start yet another thanks giving sessions you guyz are addicted to these days....

I ll agree with Happy Happy here - Civilization cannot start without a culture.. it is possible other way round though..

Civilization as we know is a era.. not start stop time duration...

They had a culture and the result of the culture was the Civilization...

The Civilizations didn Extinct.... The Greeks are still there but the culture has changed upside down...

So is true for Romans , Egyptians.. and every country that the history remembers....

And the main reason for the end of Roman civilization which was the most dominant of its era is that they didn have scriptures as back bone...

Correct me if I am wrong pls...

There culture was all Mythology dependent... which couldn hold the culture to mutate in such a way that the present Greeks cannot be visualized anyway connected to what we read in history books....

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Reality is a Illusion Caused Due to Deficiency of Alcohol

There're a few boring books on Culture, among these are:

1-Origin of Cultures

2-The Theory of Culture

God forbid any of you would have to go through reading these..:((

Salam

i believe culture is a very hard term to have definition for...becuase it has to be like this..this is what culture is...

you need to specify what you are talking about before you reach a definition of culture...and depending on what field you are discussing culture will differ..

Excellent xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx glad to hear that xxxxxxxxxxx

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God does not believe in Athiests.

"i cannot visualise a civilization without some way of thinking (culture) that lead into it"

Good on you, that's what've been arguing.

Salam

so systematic Happy lol

I hereby certify my absolute and adamant readiness to establish a common culture provided maintaining my own roots and beliefs.

Signature

Happy Happy

Salam

Happy lol...

internet dicussions will bring a new dimension to what culture is!

PCG..

this may depend on your definition of the two but i cannot visualise a civilization without some way of thinking (culture) that lead into it (civilization for me is characteristics of a society in terms or science, art, knowledge, books, philosophies, etc.)

good point! xxxxxxxx

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God does not believe in Athiests.

Where're you, any thoughts on how to bring about a Common Culture later to be known by QL Common Civilization? lol

Salam

Remember though, that in most cases civilisation was there before both religion and culture xxxxxxxx

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God does not believe in Athiests.

Happy..

i am not defininf what civilization means..i think we agree on this already..i am not saying it is past also..though it might be..

however, it still exists...

and regarding those cultures we did not know about yet..i agree with you..but once we know about them..they will be dealt with like greeks or egyptians to name a few..distinct culture..

PCG..good point..

i think religion is special case..knowing that we are believers here...messages from god come in a time decided by god..a sudden factor..and this can be viewed as new rules which leads to cultural change which then leads to civilizations..

i think!

What I'm still questioning, is the world' definition of Civilization. What about if there're current civilizations that're not yet brought to our attention, either because they're very secluded or the world doesn't consider them as a civilization on their own.I don't believe civilizations are historic past, there should be more than that.

Salam

it is confusing guys lol..

i think civilization characteristics are dictated by culture..whatever that might be..BUT once that civilization is defined (like greek, roman, egyptian) then it sustains that culture or keep it distinct..like a memory or register of how that culture looked..

You need a civilisation before you can expose them to culture. After all it is the civilisation that brings about culture. Whether it be through religion, traditions etc. That is what I think xxxxxxxxxxxx

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God does not believe in Athiests.

Foundation must be laid first than building on that base. Ancient Roman culture was not known to us until it has become "Roman Empire" and then was identified as a civilization.

Salam

Happy..

your statement made me think..i don't know how true it is..i really can't figure it out..

culture is indeed a starting point in making a certain civilization look as it does..

but once that civilization is on the go, it evolves you know, which in turn may change culture...

the reason for this, is that culture is never a constant unless you examine a certain Era..defining the starting/end time..and even within that time frame you observe developments..

What comes first, culture or civilazation??? In your opinion.

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God does not believe in Athiests.

There is a clear line between culture, civilization and society. Any group of people will have an agreed or expected culture among them, not necessarily a civilization. There're many cultures out there in the work we have no knowledge of, until National Geographic hits us with one of their amazing discoveries.

Culture is a requisite component of any given civilization, but not the other way around.

Salam

PCG..

I believe that the more you get exposed to different cultures..the more you enrich your thinking and widen your scope..so u r absolutely right!

whenever i read books written by other cultures, i get fascinated because it reveals new world to me..and the beauty of this, is it enhances my ability to communicate with that culture!

As ever the debator xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx good point mate by the way :-)

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God does not believe in Athiests.

Ashwin..

I am not sure if you could compare the two (culture & civilization)...and if you do, then there is huge difference...

in comparing the two...culture is like a model in which things are done (policy, education, social norms etc.)

Civilization is the results (inventions, arts, theories, buildings etc.) of aodpting a certain culture...

cause and effect maybe..

i am not sure why you related the two actually!

please note that i am speaking from my own understanding of the two..

Peace!

Never stops, it changes from generation to generation and who comes and lives within that country.

Which is great, don't you think?

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God does not believe in Athiests.

PCG - Thts my very point...

When you learn from a Different Civilization...

The cultures are actually mixing and evolve.. it is no more the same ....

You take something and so does the other civilization takes from yours...

Cultures are passing on beyond the boudaries drawn...

But no matter what cultures or rules the society accepts.... Civilization retains ...

Indian civilization had a culture few decades ago....

Now it has changed but the Civilization still exists...

Thks to foreign invasions we imbibed many things.. good and bad... today again there is a feeling to go back to the cultures of ages ago ... as imitating is not as fun n useful as it was expected to be.... People are realizing it....

No matter wht the changes occur.. even with the changing Culture... the civilization still remains the same....

So is it really worth to take efforts to save it..

anyways its gonna change... :)

Sooner or later..

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Reality is a Illusion Caused Due to Deficiency of Alcohol

I think each and every country in the world has different cultures within that country.

Just let us all let it be and learn from them xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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God does not believe in Athiests.

hmm... CBD - How do we differentiate between Culture and Civilizations....

I see a Sleek difference between the two....

Civilization is restricted to Territory of origin where as Culture can be seen traveling and evolving with time-space co-ordinates....

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Reality is a Illusion Caused Due to Deficiency of Alcohol

bleu..

nice one..

Actually..if we talk about it scientifically/academically..there is no absolute definition of culture..

culture is to be defined within a particular context..and from one context to another..definitions differ..

Ditto xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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God does not believe in Athiests.

I enjoy a few threads, less than 1/3...but no complaints.

Salam

Seriously I love you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx On the table ;-)))

Happy, I love the discussions on QL...they are fun xxxxxxxxxxxx

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God does not believe in Athiests.

Shah2424 - You Serial Kisser.... (The pic says so...lol)

Wht kinda culture you bring on to the table... ???

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Reality is a Illusion Caused Due to Deficiency of Alcohol

PCG - How do you manage to Participate actively in the most philosophical of the forums and also on the most Sex n lust n stuff oriented ones... ???

What kind of Diverse Culture you bring on to the table... :) lol

By the way Pls don use " On the Table " reminds me of many adventures....

Good if you didn understand the last sentence... :)

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Reality is a Illusion Caused Due to Deficiency of Alcohol

It is still deep and unique.:)

Salam

it was getting a bit deep ;-)))))))))))))

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God does not believe in Athiests.

I never thought about culture as in lab blood sample! Lady you won't find this in any book..:)) There're lots of definitions for Culture, some of them were refuted and some are commonly in use and agreed to.

I don't like to define culture as an excellent taste in fine arts because that’s very discriminating, I think the term "uncultured" as in "uncivilized" might have stemmed from there.

Salam

man culture is another mans bacteria.

We are all different and have something to bring to the table.

We all can gain from it in so many different ways. xxx

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God does not believe in Athiests.

from wikipedia:

Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate")[1] is a term that has different meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions.[2] However, the word "culture" is most commonly used in three basic senses:

* excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as high culture

* an integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning

* the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group.

Culture - Has been defiened in a good way by people who have posted on top...

HappyHappy, CBD,Edif etc etc etc...

For me - > Culture is Set of Rules we are also emotionally attached to.

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Reality is a Illusion Caused Due to Deficiency of Alcohol

Thanks much. Are you asking how to have inside info about a closed society or get to know a new culture you’ve never been to? I think these tips may help:

1-Read about them (facts, news ,demographics, annual HR reports..etc)

2-Engage in their online communities.

3-Ask your acquaintances who’ve been their.

4-Live in their country for a while.

5-Observe well.

6-Learn their language.

7-Experience their local media (print,TV and Radio)

8-Establish personal contact with locals, or

9-Have a receptive local be your cultural reference guru.

10-Visit places locals prefer (on weekends?)

11- Attend their national events/festivals..etc

12- Again, observe well but don’t stare or stalk'em, that applies everywhere in the world please!..:)

Salam

Trouble is that many people believe that culture is something found in yoghurt!

Absolutely edifis..

QL is also particularly a good place for that..so many nationalities, who come from different societies representing different cultures....

You can sense the diversity by reading every thread around here!

You have put it very well HappyHappy. Good definition for culture. I would love to know more about different cultures. But is Doha a good place for that?

I agree, how we perceive and interpret things is part of our specific cultural ingredients. A cross-cultural person would have a broader sense of understanding and may tolerate paradox.

I like this topic, thanks Khalid.

Salam

But from broader point of view it can also mean how you understand things and how you approach other people?

This depends on your education and upbringing

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Culture is a pivotal organizing base for common social practices and characteristics (values, morals, expectations, religion, affiliations, behavior….etc) of any given group of individuals. There’re many theories and books on social sciences/humanities.

I like the idea of promoting a common culture, it'll help ease cultural tensions and clashes. I propose to have it taught at school. (poor kids!)

And yes, I believe culture can be enhanced, because it's not necessarily coherent.

Salam

i believe culture is the way people do things...thier mindset in doing things!

Good question!