The Cultural Spectrum

Abstract

Culture! Westerners often use this word to mean a taste for the fine arts, music and other aesthetic matters. But it has a much broader meaning, namely, the shared values, language and traditions that define a particular group of people, be they Australian aborigines, black Americans, or the ancient Greeks. Culture is learned as a child, and as children we each learned from those around us a particular set of rules, beliefs, priorities and expectations that moulded our world into a meaningful whole. That is our culture. It tells us what is correct, expected, normal and right. It explains the world for us. It gives meaning and purpose to our lives. Culture is the socially determined mental framework in which we live. It is our Weltanschauung, our worldview, our abstract conception of reality.