Philosophical Foundations of Culture and Civilization Concepts
Defining Culture: Creations, Knowledge, and Values
Culture encompasses all human creations, both material (objects) and intangible (ideas), that form the set of cultural property: the knowledge, customs, and values of a people.
Nicola Abbagnano's Concept of Culture
For the philosopher Nicola Abbagnano, culture is defined as the training development and product training of man.
Classical Perspectives on Human Formation
Plato on Human Education and Practice
For Plato, one does not educate a man only with theories and schools of thought. Man must be educated through the practice of art and justice.
Understanding the Paideia Concept
Paideia refers to the process of formation of the person (polished, polite, formed by the "good gear" such as poetry, rhetoric, and philosophy), and as the formation of the citizen (just and political).
Two Pillars of Cultural Formation
Culture is formed in two ways:
- Teaching philosophy.
- Life in society.
This is because the process of cultural formation is inherently an education process and a production of values.
Individual Morality and Civilization
Ernst Cassirer on Culture and Autonomy
Ernst Cassirer values, in his culture concept, the capacity for action that frees man by putting him in activity in the world, giving him autonomy as a producer in his own world.
The Moral Individual in Society
Civilization connects the individual consciousness with collective freedom. Therefore, it is important to know how to evolve morally and decide on the use of these capabilities that we possess.
Cultural Conflicts and Ideologies
Ethnocentrism Defined
Ethnocentrism is the act of placing one's own culture as the central, pivotal standard of reason.
Understanding Prejudice
Prejudice is characterized by hate, intolerance, and hatred directed toward other races or creeds.
The Role of Pre-Concepts
A pre-concept involves discussing ideas on certain issues through analysis, reflection, and trial, before forming a final judgment.
Discrimination
Discrimination is the act of prejudicial treatment.
When Bias Becomes Harmful (Bobbio)
According to Bobbio, bias becomes harmful when it generates conflict and division between groups that discriminate against each other.
The Core Problem of Discriminatory Prejudice
The biggest problem of prejudice is not the discriminatory action it triggers, but rather the underlying idea that justifies it.
Freudian Perspectives on Civilization
Malaise in Civilization (Freud)
According to Freud, the civilizing process occurs from the repression of human instincts and the renunciation of freedom, which results in a feeling of discontent or malaise.
Humanity's Struggle for Accommodation
Freud suggests that much of the struggles of humanity have the purpose of finding a "convenient accommodation," an arrangement that brings happiness.
Dogmatic Universalism
Dogmatic Universalism seeks to impose, on behalf of a truth defined as universal, a number of values upon the entire planet. This ideology resulted primarily from Western colonialism.
Absolute Particularism
Absolute Particularism suggests that people, bound by their own culture, would be unable to communicate, share certain values, or even cohabit.