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Culture, what is it? by J.M.M. de Valk (1927-2012), Prof. Social Philosophy, 2002.
“The noun culture derives from the Latin verb (colere), which means ‘cultivating the land’. In fact, this term still has that meaning, but we also use “culture” in a much more expansive sense. Culture is what we call that activity of man by which nature is transformed into a human, inhabitable world. Culture is eminently human activity; one could describe man as a culture-creating being. An animal is completely assimilated into its environment, to which it can do little to change (mainly repeating its animal nature). For man, however, nature is the raw material and the field of activity, with which he builds his own environment. Legitimately, ethnology has dropped the formerly made distinction between nature populations and culture populations. There are no nature people; even the so-called “primitive man” transforms nature into culture. He creates himself a second world by humanizing nature.
But not only nature is raised to a higher level by his activity. His own humanity, too, develops only through his creative cultural work. Not until then does he become truly human, and more fully as culture has realized more human possibilities. Therefore, the Russian poet Boris Pasternak said that “culture is fruitful existence”.
Culture is always created through collaboration. The creative work of the individual person is only possible and only acquires meaning through the equal activity of others with whom he cooperates or on whose work he builds. Culture arises in dialogue with others, in a mutual division of labor. Therefore, culture is not only the result of collaboration, but in turn promotes this co-operation. Culture is community-building.”
Reference: Cultural Philosophy, edited by Edith Brugmans, Open University The Netherlands, DAMON Publisher, Chapter 1, Man and Culture, J.M.M. de Valk , ISBN 90 5573 290 7, 2002.
