Culture is all the traditions, habits, beliefs and values of a society that are passed down from generation to generation. It encompasses art, language, manners, religion, social conventions, laws, food and other customs. The term is also used to describe the attitudes and values of a society, including a sense of morality and an emphasis on education. It is not limited to the arts and can include the ways in which people live together, their lifestyles and social interactions, according to UNESCO.
Some scholars have viewed culture as a way of life, while others have characterized it as a means of transmitting knowledge. Others have focused on the differences between a high culture of an elite and a low culture of the masses, which is sometimes referred to as popular culture or folk culture.
Those who study cultural differences often emphasize the role of values, beliefs and attitudes. This approach is similar to the one that anthropologists and sociologists have long used to analyze cultures. But while identifying beliefs and values is an important first step, it does not explain how these facets of culture influence behavior or development.
One useful approach to this problem involves looking for variables that can be measured and whose measurement may be correlated with the evolution of cultures. This is the “distal” eco-social model described by Berry (2018), which seeks to find indices of environmental hazard or risk that have a direct influence on the ways in which human beings perceive and create their cultural expressions.
In this view, cultures are a newer and more highly developed means of promoting the security and continuity of human life than instincts or simple reflexes. It is the latest in a series of developments that began with the ability to symbolize, as in the case of amber from the Baltic Sea and early coins from the Middle East found in archaeological digs.
The concept of cultural is also important for understanding the world we live in. For example, many of the beliefs and values that we take for granted were influenced by the wars and conflicts that marked the past 2,500 years of Western civilization. Other events, such as the Black Death of the 13th century, accelerated this process by rapidly remaking societies.
Because culture is continually evolving, some of the beliefs, values and customs that have been around for a long time will eventually disappear. This will be faster in societies that are more open to outside influences, such as those that trade with other countries or have a large number of immigrants. But even the most closed societies can experience the effects of cultural change. Various scholarly works have described the influence of foreign movies, television shows or music on their audiences. For example, a rock star who comes to America and becomes an icon can have his or her music and images instantly transformed into a culture of its own. These transformations can have profound consequences for the lives of those who become a part of them.