formation of culture: from lucy to postmodernism
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Formation of Culture: From Lucy to Postmodernism. Ancient World History. Ontology. Realism: Reality is “Real” Idealism: Reality is Our “Idea” of What’s Real. Is Reality “Real”?. Metaphysical Question: “Is Reality Real?” Reality is defined/limited by our sensory experience - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Formation of Culture:From Lucy to Postmodernism
Ancient World History
2
Ontology
Realism: Reality is “Real”
Idealism: Reality is Our “Idea” of What’s Real
Is Reality “Real”?Metaphysical Question: “Is Reality Real?”Reality is defined/limited by our sensory experienceLimits to sensory information (infrared & high
frequency)Alternative sensory experience (sonar & taste)Distortions in sensory experience (brain interpretation)“If a tree falls in the woods and
no one is there to hear it…. “…does it make a sound?”
Is Reality a Matter of Choice?
At macro level, the table is solid, persistent, and predictable.
At molecular level, the table is fluid, more than 99% empty space, and predictable.
At subatomic level, table is fluid, chaotic, and exists only as a function of probability.
Language and RealityMany animals have language skills.Symbolic language emerged approx. 125K years ago
in humans.Language enables collective memory.Language comes to “define reality”
(Without a word for it, it literally doesn’t exist for us)Inuit Eskimos and “snow”The French and “love”
Reality is subtle, nuanced, and always evolving, while language is fixed and meanings change slowly.
This is hard with nouns – but it’s REALLY hard with adjectives.
ContextualizationHuman brains always jumps to
conclusions with incomplete information -- depending on the context.
“It was a long hard winter…
but it was a beautiful spring.”
My “Spring” is a Slinky!
What is “Culture?”
“Patterned behaviors, beliefs, and practices,
including technology, that enable a civilization to
adapt and survive in it’s environment.”
Culture vs. EvolutionCulture =Social Adaptations
Evolution =Biological Adaptations
Stone ToolsManipulation of FireClothingSymbolic Language
Upright WalkingOpposable ThumbsSmall Jaw/Growing BrainSkin Coloration
Culture & Collective MemoryPre-language: Pointing and Grunting
Language Enabled Culture to be Passed Along OrallyDetailed InstructionsAllows Learned Information to be Passed DownOral Histories Enable Intergenerational
CommunicationCan Build Upon Accomplishments of Past Generations
Writing Turbocharged Collective MemoryMore Detailed InformationInformation Can be Stored & Recalled When NeededFreed Human Brain to Discover New Knowledge,
Rather than Remember Old Memories
The Power of Collective Memory
250K
BP
100K
BP
10K B
P
7K B
P
4K B
P
500 A
D
2000
AD
Cultural AdaptationsBiological Adaptations
Early Culture
Stone Tools
Modern Culture
Is Culture “Good” or “True?”Like Evolution, Cultural Adaptations are
“Value Neutral”Culture Can Be a Powerful Force for SurvivalCulture Can Confer Benefits, But Still be Immoral
SlaveryKnowledge of Looting and Pillaging
Culture Can Be Harmless, But Factually WrongSaying “Bless You” after a Sneeze
Culture Can Be Harmless, But ObsoleteShaking Hands with Right Hand
Culture Can be Factually Wrong, Obsolete, and Destructive
Oppositional BinariesCentered/Preferred Binary Marginalized BinaryMaleStrongLargeHardIndividualisticRationalCompetitive
FemaleWeakSmallSoftCommunity/FamilyEmotional/IntuitiveCooperative
Socially Constructed Gender Norms
• Definitions Tend to be Binary• Makes a complex reality simpler (more manageable)• Maintains a manageable vocabulary• Helps in the process of establishing “identity”
Socially Constructed NormsThin is beautifulSun tans are attractiveWealth / consumption is desirableHonesty is valuedConformity is expected
Societal Enforcementof Cultural NormsIgnore violationsTrivialize violationsCo-opt the subversive message of violationsAttack violations of the norm
OstracizeBanish from the tribePunish or criminalize
Self-Enforcementof Cultural NormsCloseted Gays/LesbiansGirls “Acting Stupid” in Math ClassStopping at Red Lights at 3:30amSelf Enforcement as “The Panopticon”
Coined by Jeremy Bentham in 1796
Michel Foucault made famous in 1950’s
The Tool of DeconstructionDefines/clarifies
binariesExposes assumptionsHelps identify
implications of changeMale
FemaleMale
Female
Centered Binary
Marginalized Binary
Summary (How culture works)“Culture:” social adaptations that aid “survival”“Culture” is as old as humanity itself“Culture” is a social construction, and is not “real” in
any absolute or objective sense.Dependent on the geography/environment & social
contextTendency to generalize with incomplete informationLimits/uncertainties to sensory perception & processing
Culture became far more powerful with language, but language also introduced limits to culture.Tendency to define complex realities as simple binariesTendency to assign value judgments to simple
binaries
Summary (The Power of Culture)Cultural Norms Define Our Social Reality
What is the meaning of life?What is proper behavior? (notions of good and bad)
Culture Can be a Powerful Positive ForceRules against murder, theft, and lyingTechnological advances improve quality of life (and lifespan)
Culture Can Also be a Powerful Negative ForceDefinition and enforcement of gender/racial/religious
stereotypesPerpetuation of outdated values (overconsumption,
violence, war, defining self in terms of “the other,” etc.)“Deconstruction” as a Diagnostic Technique
Formation of Culture:From Lucy to Postmodernism
Ancient World History