I believe culture to be a mix of the beliefs and practices of a group of people. When these people get together in a certain place (country, town, workplace), they create the culture of that place based on their beliefs and practices.
In my opinion, culture is a overarching set of beliefs and norms to which all, or most of a group of people concur to. As a result of the ubiquitous acceptance of such “culture”, anything that deviates away from it is deemed abnormal.
To me culture is created by a community that come to share a set of beliefs and values, as well as being able to understand what is important to each other and each others motivations. Historically these communities and cultures would have been formed based on a shared environment and eventually family ties. Over time traditions come in to place that not only highlight the values and beliefs of the community but also help to keep order and preserve the culture.
I think culture is a shared system of beliefs, values, and way of life within a community that gives the community a cohesive identity and sets their norms of behavior. I think culture must be broadly defined and can change over time.
I think that culture is a set of traditions and values that is accepted and shared by a group of people. Culture can consist of a set of “unwritten rules” that are understood and followed by everyone within the community. Essentially, culture unifies a group of people.
I think culture has a vague or rather, a broad definition that can apply to a small group (small business) or an entire continent. There are different traditions, habits, values, expectations, biases and racisms that conform to each group’s “culture.”
I see culture as a set of beliefs and norms that a group shares and truly believes in. If these norms and beliefs are undermined or broken, it is seen as going against the culture. Norms and beliefs in cultures are sometimes expected or unwritten.
I believe culture is defined by the shared behaviours, beliefs, traditions and values of a particular group. As stated in other posts above culture can apply to large or small groups. Culture facilitates the existence of societal norms and plays a significant role in forming a group identity
When I think of the definition of culture I’m often reminded of this quote form poet Gary Snyder:
“The term culture, in its meaning of ‘a deliberately maintained aesthetic and intellectual life’ and in its other meaning of ‘the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns,’ is never far from a biological root meaning as in “yogurt culture” – a nourishing habitat. Civilization is permeable, and could be as inhabited as the wild.” -Practice of the Wild, “The Etiquette of Freedom”, 15 (1990)
I guess the reason these thoughts about culture appeal to me is that it seems so many definitions of culture from the perspective of the social sciences often neglect the role landscapes or humans interactions with landscapes have in shaping culture. This quote suggest there is almost an organic element to culture, the way bacteria adapts to milk to create yogurt is likened to the way human adapt to earth to create civilization and culture. Okay, maybe I am taking this metaphor a little too far…
To me culture is the production and reproduction of a way of life that is characterized by common, or at least popular belief, traditions, values and expressions (among other things) that emerge as a response to the environment we are surrounded by.
To me culture means the values in practice in a certain subset of a population. It is dynamic and yet rigid at the same time. It evolves over time but maintains tradition throughout the years.
This is a tough one. I would define culture as the beliefs, practices, values and ways of going about their daily lives of a group of people. This kind of ties in with what a lot of you are already saying. Culture I think is sort of a learned behaviour, something that is slowly taught to you from birth by your family and your community, the people within your culture and also something that just becomes a part of who you are. Culture involves language and religious beliefs, as well as traditions, myths, gender roles, and many other aspects of human life.
Everyone has mentioned culture being parts of the values, beliefs, and traditions of a particular group. I would like to add that culture is also part of the arts and literature. Whether part of things considered high culture such as an orchestral performance, opera, or a reading of Shakespeare, and even low culture such as watching reality TV while eating McDonalds. Culture is anything that a group of people can identify as being a part of their common identity.
I would add to everyone else’s points that culture is also food and a communities traditional food tends to reflect both an iteraction with their environment ie what grows well, what is in season and wider belief systems ie food taboos. Food seems to be a big place where culture and environment interact as the Norse exampe highlights .
Just as everyone has indicated, culture encompasses many facets. Literature, art, food, values, practices, language and learning are all a part of what culture really is. I believe everything has a certain culture and what truly matters most is how culture and knowledge of that culture and it’s attitudes are passed on to the younger generations. In general, its a shared and valued identity among a group of people .
I just had a quick second thought. I think that when defining culture we need to consider the fact that “culture” probably has different meanings for different cultures. That might be a big part of it; culture is whatever a certain culture believes it to be.
As mentioned by multiple people already, I think culture is a collections of beliefs, values and traditions that a group of people share in common. It is an identity for a population, as well as the individuals themselves. Classically, culture has been geographically stable. However, in this day and age, culture is considerably more independent of geography. Furthermore, I believe culture to exist on a continuum within a population, meaning there are subtle differences between what two individuals of the same culture associate with their particular cultural identity.
I define culture as a combination of every possible interaction that goes in between a community of people who share similar beliefs. It can include the food they eat, their gender relations, religious beliefs, economic systems, the medicines they use… the list goes on and on. I believe that culture is partially defined by geography as well. For example, part of the culture of B.C.’s historical native populations was to migrate across various parts of what is now defined as a province. Because of this, their diet was influenced to contain things like salmon from being near the water, and they also didn’t necessarily have fixed residences – an important cultural aspect regarding land-issues today.
In broader terms I would define culture as the way of living of certain groups of people, where the group is formed by shared ancestors, beliefs, religion, ethnicity etc. While the group is sharing similar ancestor tree, history etc, they will share and spread their actions as part of the practices or habits as the whole group. For instance, the habit of not eating fish as a food way is originated by personal taboo of Eric the Red. By sharing living habits and actions within the group, the group members increase acceptance and identity of themselves as part of the in-group; these habits and actions taken and passed on become unique cultures that might different from group to group due to different origin of their group (which is formed by the earliest reaction of the group members to the nature).
Culture is a way of life, a belief system, a tradition of doing certain things which define a group of people. Perhaps, two groups of people share similar cultures but I think that there is never the same, exact culture. For example, there are many different ways to mourn for the dead in each culture. The Chinese tradition is to burn paper money, paper humans as servants, watches, and clothes so that the dead will live a good life in heaven. In the hispanic culture, they celebrate the Day of the Dead by going to their loved one’s tombstone to drink and party.
I believe that culture defines a group of people that shares similar beliefs, life style and carries out the same rituals. Cultures are influenced by many things and one of the biggest influences is the geographic locations in which the culture originated from.
I think that culture is the set of beliefs, values, knowledge, and ways of doing things shared by a group of people living in a certain region. Culture promotes a sense of unity within the community and it is also defined at a particular time. Over time, the people living in the same geographical region may have developed different sets of beliefs and values, and adapted to new ways of living.
I would define culture as a common set of beliefs, values, knowledge, history, and lifestyle within a group of people, varying across different types of groups. Culture can be customs that one grows up with in their household, or one may learn cultural beliefs through the education system. Culture brings a sense of community and belonging.
A set of consensus in attitudes, values, goals, and practices that were shared in a group, organization, or society. In our case, Vikings developed a taboo in fish eating during their settlements in Greenland, comparing to the Inuit settlements consumed large amount of fish. Although they were attempting to settle in Greenland, they developed different attitudes, goals, and practices against the same “fish eating” issue. Culture actually played a important role in their adaption on Greenland.
Culture – a lot of words come to mind. Historical shaping of a set of beliefs that fit into today’s society. With these beliefs come comfort from certain food, religion, clothing, speech, marriage practices etc.
Culture is a very broad word – it can be applied to something as large as a country or something smaller like a university or even an individual company. It refers to the history of the people as well as their customs, clothing, food and many other things. In a course I took on technical writing, there was a whole section of the textbook that discussing “company culture” and how that could affect the tone and type of writing we might do.
To me, culture is a very broad term which refers to a set of common beliefs, attitudes, values, ethics, goals. Culture can further refer to common languages, religion, habits ect. It really depends on the subject being discussed. On a macro level, one could talk about canadian culture and refer to things like hockey, bilingualism ect. On a micro level, you could talk about the culture at UBC and refer to things that are common between our fellow students.
To me culture is what people do when they have their own free reign to do what they want with their own rules. When a third party that is not from the group cuts in then their culture becomes limited.
eddietastic, 
brenden, 
natashap, and 27 others are discussing.
jonl 6:11 pm on January 15, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I believe culture to be a mix of the beliefs and practices of a group of people. When these people get together in a certain place (country, town, workplace), they create the culture of that place based on their beliefs and practices.
sharonshi 7:21 pm on January 15, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
In my opinion, culture is a overarching set of beliefs and norms to which all, or most of a group of people concur to. As a result of the ubiquitous acceptance of such “culture”, anything that deviates away from it is deemed abnormal.
jenniefrench 1:27 pm on January 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
To me culture is created by a community that come to share a set of beliefs and values, as well as being able to understand what is important to each other and each others motivations. Historically these communities and cultures would have been formed based on a shared environment and eventually family ties. Over time traditions come in to place that not only highlight the values and beliefs of the community but also help to keep order and preserve the culture.
emilym 3:50 pm on January 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I think culture is a shared system of beliefs, values, and way of life within a community that gives the community a cohesive identity and sets their norms of behavior. I think culture must be broadly defined and can change over time.
msmith92 4:09 pm on January 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I think that culture is a set of traditions and values that is accepted and shared by a group of people. Culture can consist of a set of “unwritten rules” that are understood and followed by everyone within the community. Essentially, culture unifies a group of people.
roypat 4:16 pm on January 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I think culture has a vague or rather, a broad definition that can apply to a small group (small business) or an entire continent. There are different traditions, habits, values, expectations, biases and racisms that conform to each group’s “culture.”
Keaton Briscoe 4:55 pm on January 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I see culture as a set of beliefs and norms that a group shares and truly believes in. If these norms and beliefs are undermined or broken, it is seen as going against the culture. Norms and beliefs in cultures are sometimes expected or unwritten.
bgibson 4:58 pm on January 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I believe culture is defined by the shared behaviours, beliefs, traditions and values of a particular group. As stated in other posts above culture can apply to large or small groups. Culture facilitates the existence of societal norms and plays a significant role in forming a group identity
Olga F 10:37 pm on January 17, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I think culture has to do with a group of people that have same believes and traditions
brandond 12:54 pm on January 18, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
When I think of the definition of culture I’m often reminded of this quote form poet Gary Snyder:
“The term culture, in its meaning of ‘a deliberately maintained aesthetic and intellectual life’ and in its other meaning of ‘the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns,’ is never far from a biological root meaning as in “yogurt culture” – a nourishing habitat. Civilization is permeable, and could be as inhabited as the wild.” -Practice of the Wild, “The Etiquette of Freedom”, 15 (1990)
I guess the reason these thoughts about culture appeal to me is that it seems so many definitions of culture from the perspective of the social sciences often neglect the role landscapes or humans interactions with landscapes have in shaping culture. This quote suggest there is almost an organic element to culture, the way bacteria adapts to milk to create yogurt is likened to the way human adapt to earth to create civilization and culture. Okay, maybe I am taking this metaphor a little too far…
congo96 6:21 pm on January 18, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Culture is the set of values, beliefs, and tradition belonging to a particular group
jlin 9:59 pm on January 18, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/nate_garvis_change_our_culture_change_our_world.html !
To me culture is the production and reproduction of a way of life that is characterized by common, or at least popular belief, traditions, values and expressions (among other things) that emerge as a response to the environment we are surrounded by.
paige 11:25 pm on January 18, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
To me culture means the values in practice in a certain subset of a population. It is dynamic and yet rigid at the same time. It evolves over time but maintains tradition throughout the years.
sampethick 12:56 am on January 19, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
This is a tough one. I would define culture as the beliefs, practices, values and ways of going about their daily lives of a group of people. This kind of ties in with what a lot of you are already saying. Culture I think is sort of a learned behaviour, something that is slowly taught to you from birth by your family and your community, the people within your culture and also something that just becomes a part of who you are. Culture involves language and religious beliefs, as well as traditions, myths, gender roles, and many other aspects of human life.
phoebe 1:31 am on January 19, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Everyone has mentioned culture being parts of the values, beliefs, and traditions of a particular group. I would like to add that culture is also part of the arts and literature. Whether part of things considered high culture such as an orchestral performance, opera, or a reading of Shakespeare, and even low culture such as watching reality TV while eating McDonalds. Culture is anything that a group of people can identify as being a part of their common identity.
katehaxt 7:34 am on January 19, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I would add to everyone else’s points that culture is also food and a communities traditional food tends to reflect both an iteraction with their environment ie what grows well, what is in season and wider belief systems ie food taboos. Food seems to be a big place where culture and environment interact as the Norse exampe highlights .
youngblutt 9:00 am on January 19, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
The shared and learned behaviours and interpretations of a group in relation to their surroundings.
tsung18 10:40 am on January 19, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Just as everyone has indicated, culture encompasses many facets. Literature, art, food, values, practices, language and learning are all a part of what culture really is. I believe everything has a certain culture and what truly matters most is how culture and knowledge of that culture and it’s attitudes are passed on to the younger generations. In general, its a shared and valued identity among a group of people .
sampethick 12:49 pm on January 19, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I just had a quick second thought. I think that when defining culture we need to consider the fact that “culture” probably has different meanings for different cultures. That might be a big part of it; culture is whatever a certain culture believes it to be.
jaydee 4:54 pm on January 19, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
As mentioned by multiple people already, I think culture is a collections of beliefs, values and traditions that a group of people share in common. It is an identity for a population, as well as the individuals themselves. Classically, culture has been geographically stable. However, in this day and age, culture is considerably more independent of geography. Furthermore, I believe culture to exist on a continuum within a population, meaning there are subtle differences between what two individuals of the same culture associate with their particular cultural identity.
lcoulthard 10:16 pm on January 19, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I define culture as a combination of every possible interaction that goes in between a community of people who share similar beliefs. It can include the food they eat, their gender relations, religious beliefs, economic systems, the medicines they use… the list goes on and on. I believe that culture is partially defined by geography as well. For example, part of the culture of B.C.’s historical native populations was to migrate across various parts of what is now defined as a province. Because of this, their diet was influenced to contain things like salmon from being near the water, and they also didn’t necessarily have fixed residences – an important cultural aspect regarding land-issues today.
midara 10:58 pm on January 19, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
In broader terms I would define culture as the way of living of certain groups of people, where the group is formed by shared ancestors, beliefs, religion, ethnicity etc. While the group is sharing similar ancestor tree, history etc, they will share and spread their actions as part of the practices or habits as the whole group. For instance, the habit of not eating fish as a food way is originated by personal taboo of Eric the Red. By sharing living habits and actions within the group, the group members increase acceptance and identity of themselves as part of the in-group; these habits and actions taken and passed on become unique cultures that might different from group to group due to different origin of their group (which is formed by the earliest reaction of the group members to the nature).
nytsuen 12:51 pm on January 20, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Culture is a way of life, a belief system, a tradition of doing certain things which define a group of people. Perhaps, two groups of people share similar cultures but I think that there is never the same, exact culture. For example, there are many different ways to mourn for the dead in each culture. The Chinese tradition is to burn paper money, paper humans as servants, watches, and clothes so that the dead will live a good life in heaven. In the hispanic culture, they celebrate the Day of the Dead by going to their loved one’s tombstone to drink and party.
kimzzzy 7:36 am on January 21, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I believe that culture defines a group of people that shares similar beliefs, life style and carries out the same rituals. Cultures are influenced by many things and one of the biggest influences is the geographic locations in which the culture originated from.
yitailiu 2:09 pm on January 21, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I think that culture is the set of beliefs, values, knowledge, and ways of doing things shared by a group of people living in a certain region. Culture promotes a sense of unity within the community and it is also defined at a particular time. Over time, the people living in the same geographical region may have developed different sets of beliefs and values, and adapted to new ways of living.
shalinb 9:05 pm on January 21, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I would define culture as a common set of beliefs, values, knowledge, history, and lifestyle within a group of people, varying across different types of groups. Culture can be customs that one grows up with in their household, or one may learn cultural beliefs through the education system. Culture brings a sense of community and belonging.
Danni 6:53 pm on January 22, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
A set of consensus in attitudes, values, goals, and practices that were shared in a group, organization, or society. In our case, Vikings developed a taboo in fish eating during their settlements in Greenland, comparing to the Inuit settlements consumed large amount of fish. Although they were attempting to settle in Greenland, they developed different attitudes, goals, and practices against the same “fish eating” issue. Culture actually played a important role in their adaption on Greenland.
erikaw 12:52 am on January 25, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Culture – a lot of words come to mind. Historical shaping of a set of beliefs that fit into today’s society. With these beliefs come comfort from certain food, religion, clothing, speech, marriage practices etc.
natashap 9:20 pm on January 25, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Culture is a very broad word – it can be applied to something as large as a country or something smaller like a university or even an individual company. It refers to the history of the people as well as their customs, clothing, food and many other things. In a course I took on technical writing, there was a whole section of the textbook that discussing “company culture” and how that could affect the tone and type of writing we might do.
brenden 3:26 pm on January 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
To me, culture is a very broad term which refers to a set of common beliefs, attitudes, values, ethics, goals. Culture can further refer to common languages, religion, habits ect. It really depends on the subject being discussed. On a macro level, one could talk about canadian culture and refer to things like hockey, bilingualism ect. On a micro level, you could talk about the culture at UBC and refer to things that are common between our fellow students.
eddietastic 7:46 pm on January 30, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
To me culture is what people do when they have their own free reign to do what they want with their own rules. When a third party that is not from the group cuts in then their culture becomes limited.