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Lecture-08
Culture and Civilization
Culture is one of the most important concepts in social science. It is commonly
used in psychology, Political science and economics. It is the main concept in
Anthropology and a fundamental one in sociology. The study of human society
immediately and necessarily leads us to the study of its culture. The study of
society or any aspect of it becomes incomplete without a proper understanding
of the culture of that society. Culture and society go together. They are
inseparable.

Generally by culture we understand refined taste and habitual excellence. But in

fact, culture means something more than that. All aspects of human life are
included in culture. Culture is the sum total of human behavior. What a man
accomplishes as a member of society is culture, Thus human knowledge, belief,
behaviors, language, way of eating, morality, values are included in culture.

Definition of Culture

Robert Bierstedt is of the opinion that “Culture is the complex whole that consists
of all the ways we think and do and everything we have as member of society”.

MacIver says “Culture is that we are”.

Edward B. Tylor, a famous English anthropologist, has defined culture as “that

complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals , law, custom and
any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society”
Tylor‟s definition is widely quoted and used today.

Civilization

The term „civilization‟ is derived from the Latin word „civitas‟ which means a city.
Hence the term refers to all the attainments characteristic of human life in an
organized city. Since cities appeared relatively at a later stage in human history,
„civilization‟ indicates a particular stage in the evolution of man. In contrast with
this, culture represents the group life of man at all the stages of his social
development. The term civilization is also used to cover all the social
organizations and other attainments of man which mark him off from other
animals.

Goldenweiser used the term „civilization‟ identically with culture to refer to all
the human achievements.

Toynbee says “Civilization in terms of the institutionalization of system of ethical

and religious traditions and ideologies that dominates a society or a number of
related societies.

MacIver and Page says, “By civilization we mean the overall forms of the
mechanism, technology and organization created by man in order to control their
life style”.
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So, civilization means the scientific and technological knowledge by which man
brings nature under his control.

The differences between civilization and culture

The following differences are found between civilization and culture.

(i) Culture is man‟s non- material creation. For example, knowledge, beliefs,
music, dance etc. These are culture. On the other hand, civilization is man‟s
material creation. For example, house, furniture, watch, television etc. In this
connection, MacIver says, our culture is what we are and our civilization is what
we have or use.

(ii) German philosopher Kant says that culture is a person‟s internal state of
mind while his external behavior is related to civilization.

(iii) Civilization may be inherited but culture is to be achieved or learnt. For

example, a man may inherit a harmonium, but he is to learn the art of playing
that harmonium.

(iv) Civilization can be measured on the basis of skill but culture is judged on the
basis of the mental requirement of man. For example, truck is much faster then
that of a horse cart, an aero plane is still faster than the truck. On the other
hand, culture cannot be judged by any particular object. For example, a good
painting may be beautiful to some one but not so to another.

(v) It is easy to realize the contribution of civilization but the common people can
not so easily realize that those of culture. Common people with little learning can
master the technique and application on modern machines. But by teaching a
person the technique of writing poem will not make it sure that those person will
acquire the skills in writings poem.

(vi) Civilization may be destroyed but culture may not be destroyed so easily.
For example the Nordic people defeated the Roman‟s and destroyed their
civilization but they could not destroy the cultural elements. Such as, Roman
language, law, custom, religion etc, rather they accepted them.