What is Culture? What is Civility?

[B_Ungaro]

Greetings,
I got this IDEA from reading the postings
under POLITICS and the posting of John Struthers on the Death Sentence. The conversation drifted from the Death Sentence to Civility and back to the Death Sentence
several times. So I pose the question, what is Civility and what is Culture? It has to be more than just the Death Sentence. How does education effect these things? Do you have to be educated to be civil? Does Culture
mean Arts alone or does it include traditions, behaivor, standard of living,
ecology, religious beliefs, etc, etc. I have to think about these things. How do you see it?

[Foggy]

Hmmm. Have to give this one some thought...

Fog

[andrewblow]

I hesitate to enter such an audience, but I believe that 'culture' must include EVERYTHING that moulds our lives and attitudes. However, although some historical aspects that form our cultural understanding will remain for ever, other situations are occuring RIGHT NOW and we can see our 'culture' subtly changing before our eyes. I give my childrens' time at university as an example - our kids are changing this world from under our feet !! and I look around and find 'it's in my culture now'.

[Phillip]

I agree with Andrew and I also think that culture is also very personal. Not a personal matter, but something you have to look at on an individual basis. EG I might live next door to people who see life differently and essentially live in another world. It could be as simple as an age difference...

You see, I think culture is basically mood based.

Think on it

[grandma]

I think that civilization is the basis, the culture is which is based in civilization. Culture is different in all countries, but there are some basic rools to all coutries of our civilization. Read in Biblia, please. There are 10 basic rools. So, you can dance "kazachek", and I "aurresku", but kill a person isn't "civilized" for us both.

[johnstruthers]

Civility seems to be the respect offered to all, regardless of their consonance with our beliefs or practices. One hopes it is returned. It permits the different ingredients of a culture to get along, one with another. It is especially desired and required in cultures that have a great number of constituent interests that may, or may not, bind it together on other terms. Think Brooklyn, I would suggest. Some would say it represents the absence of culture, others would say a complex culture. It is a lot of cultures in process of acculturating a population. In its better moments, it does this with civility. At all other times...