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Culture and Civilization. Until now, you’ve been allowed to use the words “culture” and “civilization” the same way. Maybe you even thought they meant the same thing. After all, most definitions we use in Social Studies have a common meaning that’s much broader. Culture and Cvilization.
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Culture and Civilization Until now, you’ve been allowed to use the words “culture” and “civilization” the same way. Maybe you even thought they meant the same thing. After all, most definitions we use in Social Studies have a common meaning that’s much broader.
Culture and Cvilization • You may have been told once, when you were behaving badly, “Act like you’re civilized!” The same person could have told you, “Show me you have some culture!” In each case, you’d know they wanted you to act in a more appropriate way. But what do “culture” and “civilization” mean to social scientists?
Definition of Culture • Write down in your notebook what you think the formal definition of culture is. In a minute, we’ll sample your responses.
Definition of Culture • To a social scientist, the definition of culture is “the shared way of life of an organized group of people, including the initial steps in the development of the seven G.R.E.A.S.E.S.” • You remember the G.R.E.A.S.E.S., don’t you? Write them from memory in your notebook:
The G.R.E.A.S.E.S. • For those who forgot, or are new to Lower Moreland, the G.R.E.A.S.E.S. are as follows: • Government • Religion • Economics • Arts and Architecture • Science and Technology • Education • Social Structures
The G.R.E.A.S.E.S. • We can use the G.R.E.A.S.E.S. to study one civilization at a time, or to compare/contrast two or more civilizations:
The G.R.E.A.S.E.S. • Any group of people is going to have some early stage of each of the G.R.E.A.S.E.S., but when we study a civilization, we’re going to use the G.R.E.A.S.E.S. as our basis for organizing all the information we learn about it. With that as a hint, write down in your notes what you think is the formal definition of civilization:
Definition of Civilization • To some social scientists, there are six requirements for a culture to be considered a civilization: • 1) Food Surplus, which implies • 2) Domestication of Plants/Animals • 3) Cities, which implies • 4) Specialization of Labor • 5) Written Language • 6) Fully developed G.R.E.A.S.E.S.
Definition of Civilization • Because #1 implies #2, and #3 implies #4, I’m satisfied if you remember four requirements: • 1) Food Surplus • 2) Cities • 3) Written Language • 4) Fully developed G.R.E.A.S.E.S.
Civilization • Next, we’re going to look at some groups of people from around the world, to see if they meet the requirements of a civilization. Some of the answers won’t be clear-cut, but if you apply the formal definition, you should come to the same conclusions as your classmates.
The answers are no (for the New Guinea tribes), yes (for the Afghan villagers), yes (for the drunk staggering out of the club in New York), and yes (for the Appalachian mobile home/decrepit auto). That’s all for this show. Next we need to talk about drives, instincts, reflexes, and sociobiology.
