12 Degrees South

Billy, Kate & Will in Perú

  • Home
  • About Us
  • How Can I Help?
  • Instagram
  • Contact

anthropology

“Culture enables humans to survive.”

Posted on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 Leave a Comment

This was said during my Introduction to Anthropology class earlier today. Usually, I don’t find much challenging from that class, a lot of the things seem to be common sense, or I already had encountered the material with my mom (she’s an anthropologist) at some point in my life. But today, during discussion about the cultural dimension of the study of anthropology, we were given the statement, “culture enables humans to survive.” 

Being more interested in the cultural quarter of anthropological studies (rather than the biological, archeological, or linguistic parts), I caught this comment and pondered it during the remainder of the class.

At first glance, this statement seems to be untrue. Why do we need culture to survive? Why do I need art, music and literature to have a decent life? Long before these social inventions, people seemed to get along just fine. Traditions are nice in all, but are they really absolutely necessary?

Well, in the deeper sense of anthropology, culture is more than just art, music and literature. It is what we do every day, how we do it, and most importantly, why we do it. Culture explains why we have three meals a day and what time they are (compared to others), why we dress in a certain way, why we practice certain beliefs and traditions, etc.Without the culture that contributes to our daily lives, we would not be able to effectively live.

Posted in: Alma College | Tagged: anthropology, cultural, quotes

Subscribe to our updates

katebruder

Happy Father’s Day @greenmanbilly! The legacy yo Happy Father’s Day @greenmanbilly! The legacy you are creating for Will and the example you show him daily of how to be a father and husband is our greatest blessing. We love you. #littlewilliamnoah
A lovely evening watching the national ballet perf A lovely evening watching the national ballet perform Cinderella and Will’s first show at the @granteatronacional. #littlewilliamnoah
Ended our trip with a hike and horseback ride to s Ended our trip with a hike and horseback ride to see the Gocta waterfall up close. #littlewilliamnoah #ytúquéplanes
Headed west to Amazonas to see deep canyons, the t Headed west to Amazonas to see deep canyons, the town of Chachapoyas and the sarcophagi of Karajía #littlewilliamnoah #ytúquéplanes
A castle in the jungle built by an Italian and a c A castle in the jungle built by an Italian and a car raft to cross the Rio Huallaga to Laguna Azul were two firsts for us in Tarapoto. #littlewilliamnoah #ytúquéplanes
Spent a few days in the jungle outside the city of Spent a few days in the jungle outside the city of Tarapoto for @wngreenman’s first Peruvian jungle experience. #littlewilliamnoah #ytúquéplanes
Bubbles in the park today vs. 2019☺️ #littlewi Bubbles in the park today vs. 2019☺️ #littlewilliamnoah
Today was the first day of school and can’t beli Today was the first day of school and can’t believe we have a Kindergartener! After 2 years of virtual school, Will didn’t have to log into Zoom and was able to walk through the doors of the school and met his new teacher, Miss Magy, in person! We’re excited to see what he learns this year and he’s thrilled to be back in a classroom for the first time since March 2020! #littlewilliamnoah @coloringdreamsperu
Ending the 5th birthday celebrations for our loved Ending the 5th birthday celebrations for our loved little boy with a picnic party in the park with friends in Lima #littlewilliamnoah
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 12 Degrees South.

Theme by Randall Bruder.