Cultural Dynamics and Human Sociability
Interculturalism and Dialogue
- Cultural Relativism: Considers that it is impossible to compare and evaluate characteristics of different cultures. It is based on the belief that every culture has value in itself, since all the elements are understood and explained by an internal logic. This can serve as an excuse for passivity and inaction against unjust and inhumane acts.
- Universalism: Proposes a rejection of ethnocentric attitudes to avoid imposing one culture on another. It is based on real dialogue to facilitate the convergence of cultural traits that have proven effective.
- Interculturalism and Dialogue: Arises from the recognition of cultural plurality as a rewarding fact, as it can help us better understand the world and ourselves. It proposes that peaceful and harmonious coexistence of different life forms is possible and desirable.
The Dynamics of Culture
Human culture changes over time. Mosterín provides five types of cultural transformations:
- Cultural Changes: Involve the introduction of new content or modification of existing ones. Intention may be due to voluntary invention or involuntary, called due to errors in the process of imitation.
- Cultural Transmission: Carries cultural information vertically (from generation to generation) or horizontally (between individuals of the same generation).
- Diffusion or Cultural Contagion: Involves the transfer of elements from other cultures and their adoption as their own. This can occur spontaneously or by a colonizing imposition (acculturation).
- Cultural Drift: Happens when a culture is fragmented into groups or cultural subgroups.
- Cultural Selection: When cultural innovations that are effective remain, as members prefer group and rational choice.
Sociability of Human Beings
Human beings (HB) are so used to living in society that they see this as the effect of a natural trend.
The HB has a number of characteristics that incline us to accept the sociability of the human species.
Features: Instinctive Indeterminacy: The HB must learn how to react and how to adapt to reality. This learning is possible because of permeability (allows us to be affected by external stimuli and assimilating), intelligence (helps you find the best solution), and the social body (canned responses that have been considered adaptive). The group transfers to its new members guidelines to ensure individual and group survival.
Long Period of Immaturity: The child is completely helpless and remains so for a long time. Causes adults should deal longer for his board and care, so that our biological nature makes the company of others a necessary thing.
Lack of Noteworthy Physical Qualities: Each animal species has a physical quality that enhances their survival. The HB does not have features that make it physically stress or other animals. To survive and thrive must come together and work together.
Cooperation and Aggression
It is as likely to get along as human mal. Cooperation is not always in a group; there is always competition for three factors: aggressiveness and violence (man is being selfish by nature), sociological Darwinism (survival of the better), and external factors (man is not necessarily aggressive by nature).
Definition of Socialization
Socialization is the process of learning by which we integrate into the community from taking part. It consists in the acquisition and internalization of rules, principles, and customs of the culture in which we live.