The sphere of the material and spiritual culture of the people. Material culture and its elements

- its production, distribution and preservation. In this sense, culture is often understood as artistic creation musicians, writers, actors, painters; organizing exhibitions and directing performances; museum and library activities, etc. There are even narrower meanings of culture: the degree of development of something (culture of work or nutrition), the characteristics of a particular era or people (Scythian or Old Russian culture), the level of education (culture of behavior or speech), etc.

In all these interpretations of culture it comes as tangible objects (paintings, films, buildings, books, cars), as well as intangible products (ideas, values, images, theories, traditions). Material and spiritual values ​​created by man are called, respectively, material and spiritual culture.

Material culture

Under material culture usually means artificially created objects that allow people to adapt in an optimal way to the natural and social conditions of life.

The objects of material culture are created to satisfy the diverse and therefore are considered as values. Speaking about the material culture of a particular people, they traditionally mean such specific items as clothing, weapons, utensils, food, jewelry, home arrangement, architectural structures. Modern science, exploring such artifacts, is able to reconstruct the lifestyle of even long-disappeared peoples, about which I do not remain mentioned in written sources.

With a broader understanding of material culture, three main elements are seen in it.

• Actually the objective world, created by man - buildings, roads, communications, devices, objects of art and everyday life. The development of culture is manifested in the constant expansion and complication of the world, "domestication". Life modern man it is difficult to imagine without the most complex artificial devices - computers, televisions, mobile phones, etc., which underlie the modern information culture.
• Technologies - means and technical algorithms for creating and using objects objective world... Technologies are material because they are embodied in concrete practical ways of activity.
• Technical culture - these are specific skills, abilities,. Culture preserves these skills and abilities along with knowledge, transmitting both theoretical and practical experience... However, unlike knowledge, skills and abilities are formed in practical activity, usually by an example. At each stage of the development of culture, along with the complexity of technology, skills also become more complex.

Spiritual culture

Spiritual culture unlike the material, it is not embodied in objects. The sphere of her being is not things, but ideal activities associated with intelligence, emotions,.

• Ideal shapes the existence of culture does not depend on individual human opinions. It - scientific knowledge, language, established norms of morality, etc. Sometimes this category includes the activities of education and the media.
• Integrating Spiritual Forms cultures combine disparate elements of social and personal consciousness into a coherent one. At the first stages of human development, myths were such a regulating and unifying form. In modern times, its place was taken, and to some extent -.
• Subjective spirituality represents the refraction of objective forms in the individual consciousness of each specific person. In this respect, we can talk about the culture of an individual (his baggage of knowledge, ability to moral choice, religious feelings, culture of behavior, etc.).

The union of the spiritual and the material forms common cultural space as a complex interconnected system of elements constantly passing into each other. So, spiritual culture - ideas, intentions of an artist - can be embodied in material things - books or sculptures, and reading books or observing objects of art is accompanied by a reverse transition - from material things to knowledge, emotions, feelings.

The quality of each of these elements, as well as the close relationship between them determine level moral, aesthetic, intellectual, and as a result - cultural development any society.

The relationship of material and spiritual culture

Material culture- this is the whole area of ​​material and production activity of a person and its results - the artificial environment surrounding a person.

Things- the result of the material and creative activity of a person - are the most important form her existence. As well human body, a thing simultaneously belongs to two worlds - natural and cultural. As a rule, things are made from natural materials, and become part of the culture after processing by humans. This is how our distant ancestors once acted, turning a stone into a chopper, a stick into a spear, the skin of a killed animal into clothing. At the same time, the thing acquires a very important quality- the ability to satisfy certain human needs, to be useful to a person... We can say that a useful thing is the initial form of being a thing in culture.

But from the very beginning things were also carriers of socially significant information, signs and symbols that connected human world with the world of spirits, texts that store information necessary for the survival of the team. This was especially true for primitive culture with its syncretism - integrity, indivisibility of all elements. Therefore, along with practical utility, there was a symbolic utility that made it possible to use things in magic rites and rituals, as well as give them additional aesthetic properties. In ancient times, another form of thing appeared - a toy intended for children, with the help of which they mastered the necessary experience of culture, prepared for adulthood... Most often, these were miniature models of real things, sometimes with additional aesthetic value.

Gradually, over the millennia, the utilitarian and value properties of things began to separate, which led to the formation of two classes of things - prosaic, purely material, and things-signs used for ritual purposes, for example flags and coats of arms of states, orders, etc. There has never been an insurmountable barrier between these classes. So, in the church, a special baptismal font is used for the baptismal ceremony, but if necessary, it can be replaced with any basin of a suitable size. Thus, any thing retains its sign function, being a cultural text. Over the course of time, the aesthetic value of things began to acquire more and more importance, therefore beauty has long been considered one of their most important characteristics. But in industrial society beauty and utility began to separate. Therefore, there are many useful, but ugly things and at the same time beautiful expensive trinkets that emphasize the wealth of their owner.

We can say that a material thing becomes a bearer of spiritual meaning, since the image of a person of a particular era, culture, social status etc. So, a knightly sword can serve as an image and a symbol of a medieval feudal lord, and in modern complex household appliances it is easy to see a person early XXI v. Toys are also portraits of the era. For example, modern technically sophisticated toys, among which there are many models of weapons, fairly accurately reflect the face of our time.

Social organizations are also the fruit of human activity, another form of material objectivity, material culture. Becoming human society took place in close connection with the development of social structures, without which the existence of culture is impossible. V primitive society due to syncretism and homogeneity of primitive culture, there was only one social structure - the clan organization, which ensured all of man's existence, his material and spiritual needs, as well as the transmission of information to future generations. With the development of society, various social structures began to form that were responsible for the daily practical life people (labor, public administration, war) and for the satisfaction of his spiritual needs, primarily religious. Already in the Ancient East, the state and the cult were clearly distinguished, at the same time schools appeared as part of pedagogical organizations.

The development of civilization, associated with the improvement of technology and technology, the construction of cities, the formation of classes, required more efficient organization public life... As a result, social organizations, in which economic, political, legal, moral relations, technical, scientific, artistic, sports activities were determined. In the economic sphere, the first social structure became a medieval workshop, in modern times replaced by a manufactory, which has developed today to industrial and commercial firms, corporations and banks. In the political sphere, in addition to the state, political parties appeared and public associations... The legal sphere has created a court, prosecutor's office, and legislative bodies. Religion has formed a ramified church organization. Later, organizations of scientists, artists, philosophers appeared. All spheres of culture existing today have a network of social organizations and structures created by them. The role of these structures increases with the passage of time, as the importance of the organizational factor in the life of mankind increases. Through these structures, a person exercises control and self-government, creates a basis for life together people, in order to preserve and transfer the accumulated experience to the next m n about with n and I m.

Things and social organizations together create a complex structure of material culture, in which several important areas are distinguished: Agriculture, buildings, tools, transportation, communications, technology, etc.

Agriculture includes varieties of plants and animal breeds bred as a result of selection, as well as cultivated soils. Human survival is directly related to this area of ​​material culture, as it provides food and raw materials for industrial production. Therefore, man is constantly concerned about breeding new, more productive species of plants and animals. But it is especially important to properly cultivate the soil, which maintains its fertility on high level, - mechanical processing, fertilization with organic and chemical fertilizers, reclamation and crop rotation - the sequence of cultivating different plants on one piece of land.

Building- habitats of people with all the variety of their occupations and life (housing, premises for management activities, entertainment, learning activities), and construction- the results of construction that change the conditions of the economy and life (premises for production, bridges, dams, etc.). Both buildings and structures are the result of construction. A person must constantly take care of keeping them in order so that they can successfully perform their functions.

Tools, fixture and equipment are designed to provide all types of physical and mental work of a person. So, tools directly affect the material being processed, fixtures are an addition to tools, equipment is a set of tools and fixtures located in one place and used for one purpose. They differ depending on what kind of activity they serve - agriculture, industry, communications, transport, etc. The history of mankind testifies to the constant improvement of this area of ​​material culture - from a stone ax and a digging stick to modern sophisticated machines and mechanisms that ensure the production of everything necessary for human life.

Transport and ways of communication ensure the exchange of people and goods between different areas and settlements contributing to their development. This area of ​​material culture includes: specially equipped communication routes (roads, bridges, embankments, runways airports), buildings and structures necessary for the normal operation of transport (railway stations, airports, ports, harbors, gas stations, etc.), all types of transport (horse-drawn, road, rail, air, water, pipeline).

Connection closely related to transport and includes post, telegraph, telephone, radio and computer networks. She, like transport, connects people, allowing them to exchange information.

Technologies - knowledge and skills in all the listed areas of activity. The most important task is not only the further improvement of technologies, but also the transfer to future generations, which is possible only through a developed education system, and this indicates a close connection between material culture and spiritual.

Knowledge, values ​​and projects as forms of spiritual culture.Knowledge represent a product cognitive activities a person, fixing information received by a person about the world around him and the person himself, his views on life and behavior. We can say that the level of culture of both an individual and society as a whole is determined by the volume and depth of knowledge. Today, knowledge is acquired by a person in all spheres of culture. But gaining knowledge in religion, art, everyday life etc. is not a priority. Here, knowledge is always associated with a certain system of values, which they substantiate and defend: in addition, they are figurative in nature. Only science as a special sphere of spiritual production is aimed at obtaining objective knowledge about the surrounding world. It arose in antiquity, when there was a need for generalized knowledge about the world around us.

Values ​​- ideals, to the achievement of which a person and society aspires, as well as objects and their properties that satisfy certain human needs. They are associated with a constant assessment of all objects and phenomena surrounding a person, which he produces on the principle of good-bad, good-evil, and arose within the framework of primitive culture. In the preservation and transmission of values ​​to future generations, myths played a special role, thanks to which values ​​became an integral part of ceremonies and rituals, and through them a person became a part of society. As a result of the disintegration of the myth with the development of civilization, value orientations began to be fixed in religion, philosophy, art, morality and law.

Projects - plans for future human actions. Their creation is associated with the essence of a person, his ability to make conscious, purposeful actions to transform the world around him, which is impossible without a previously drawn up plan. This implements creativity a person, his ability to freely transform reality: first - in his own mind, then - in practice. In this, man differs from animals, which are capable of acting only with those objects and phenomena that exist for the present and are important for them to the given time... Only man has freedom, for him there is nothing inaccessible and impossible (at least in fantasy).

V primitive times this ability was fixed at the level of myth. Today, projective activity exists as a specialized one and is divided in accordance with the projects of which objects should be created - natural, social or human. In this regard, design is distinguished:

• technical (engineering), inextricably linked with scientific and technological progress occupying an increasingly important place in culture. Its result is the world of material things that create the body of modern civilization;
• social modeling social phenomena- new forms state structure, political and legal systems, methods of production management, school education etc.;
• pedagogical on the creation of human models, ideal images children and students who are formed by parents and teachers.
• Knowledge, values ​​and projects form the foundation of spiritual culture, which includes, in addition to the named results of spiritual activity, the very spiritual activity for the production of spiritual products. They, like the products of material culture, satisfy certain human needs and, above all, the need to ensure the life of people in society. For this, a person acquires necessary knowledge about the world, society and oneself, for this, value systems are created that allow a person to realize, choose or create forms of behavior approved by society. This is how the varieties of spiritual culture that exist today were formed - morality, politics, law, art, religion, science, philosophy. Consequently, spiritual culture is a multi-layered formation.

At the same time, spiritual culture is inextricably linked with material. Any objects or phenomena of material culture are based on a project, embody certain knowledge and become values, satisfying human needs. In other words, material culture is always the embodiment of a certain part of the spiritual culture. But spiritual culture can exist only when it is materialized, objectified, and has received this or that material embodiment. Any book, picture, musical composition, like other works of art that are part of spiritual culture, need material medium- paper, canvas, paints, musical instruments, etc.

Moreover, it is often difficult to understand which type of culture - material or spiritual - this or that object or phenomenon belongs to. So, we will most likely attribute any piece of furniture to material culture. But if we are talking about a chest of drawers 300 years old, exhibited in a museum, it should be spoken of as an object of spiritual culture. The book - an indisputable object of spiritual culture - can be used to kindle the stove. But if cultural objects can change their purpose, then criteria should be introduced to distinguish between objects of material and spiritual culture. In this capacity, an assessment of the meaning and purpose of an object can be used: an object or phenomenon that satisfies the primary (biological) needs of a person belongs to material culture, if they satisfy secondary needs associated with the development of human abilities, it is considered an object of spiritual culture.

There are transitional forms between material and spiritual culture - signs that represent something different from what they themselves are, although this content does not apply to spiritual culture. The most known form sign - money, as well as a variety of coupons, tokens, receipts, etc., used by people to indicate payment for all kinds of services. Thus, money - the general market equivalent - can be spent on buying food or clothing (material culture) or buying a ticket to a theater or museum (spiritual culture). In other words, money acts as a universal intermediary between the objects of material and spiritual culture in modern society... But this lurks a serious danger, since money makes these objects equal among themselves, depersonalizing objects of spiritual culture. At the same time, many people have the illusion that everything has a price, that everything can be bought. In this case, money divides people, belittles the spiritual side of life.

Material culture and its types.

Culture is an integral systemic object with a complex structure. At the same time, the very existence of culture acts as a single process that can be divided into two spheres: material and spiritual. Material culture subdivided into: - industrial and technological culture, which is the material results of material production and methods of technological activity public person; - reproduction of the human race, which includes the entire sphere of intimate relations between a man and a woman. It should be noted that under material culture it is customary to understand not so much the creation of the objective world of people as the activity to form ʼʼconditions human existenceʼʼ. The essence of material culture is the embodiment of various human needs that allow people to adapt to biological and social conditions of life.

Material culture is a human environment. Material culture is created by all types of human labor. It creates the standard of living of society, the nature of its material needs and the possibility of their satisfaction. The material culture of society falls into eight categories:

1) animal breeds;

2) plant varieties;

3) soil culture;

4) buildings and structures;

5) tools and equipment;

6) ways of communication and means of transport;

7) communications and means of communication;

8) technology.

1. Breeds of animals constitute a special category of material culture, because this category does not include the population of animals of a given breed, but namely the carriers of the breed.

This category of material culture includes not only animals for economic use, but also decorative breeds of dogs, pigeons, etc. The process of transferring wild animals to domesticated animals by targeted selection and crossing is accompanied by a change in their appearance, gene pool and behavior. But not all tame animals, for example, cheetahs used for hunting, belong to material culture, because did not go through the processes of directional crossing.

Wild and domestic animals of the same species can coexist in time (like, for example, pigs and boars) or be only domesticated.

2. Plant varieties are developed through selection and directed rearing. The number of varieties is constantly increasing in each type of plant. Unlike animal breeds, plants can be stored in seeds, which contain all the qualities of an adult plant. Storage of seeds allows you to collect collections of seeds and preserve them, organize, classify, ᴛ.ᴇ. to carry out all types of activities inherent in cultural work. Since have different types plants different relationship between seeds and an adult plant, since many plants reproduce by cuttings and cuttings, culture-forming functions are associated with the spread of varieties in a given area. This is done by nurseries and seed farms.

3. Soil culture is the most difficult and vulnerable component of material culture. Soil is the upper producing layer of the earth, in which saprophytic viruses, bacteria, worms, fungi and other living elements of nature are concentrated between inorganic elements. The productive power of the soil depends on how many and in what combinations with inorganic elements and among themselves these living elements are. It is important to note that in order to create a soil culture, it is cultivated in order to increase its fertility. Soil cultivation includes: mechanical cultivation (overturning of the upper layer, loosening and transfer of soil), fertilization with humus of organic residues of plants and animal waste, chemical fertilizers and microelements, the correct sequence of cultivation in the same area of ​​various plants, water and air regime of the soil (reclamation, irrigation, etc.).

Thanks to cultivation, the soil layer increases in volume, life in it is activated (due to the combination of saprophytic living creatures), and fertility increases. The soil, being in one and the same place, is improved by human activity. This is the culture of the soil.

Soils are classified according to their quality, location, and their producing power. Soil maps are being compiled. Soils are rated for their producing power by comparison. A land cadastre is compiled, defining the quality and comparative value of soil. The inventories have agricultural and economic uses.

4. Buildings and structures are the most visual elements of material culture (the German verb "bauen" means "to build" and "cultivate the soil", as well as "to engage in any culture-forming activity", it expresses well the meaning of the combination of basic forms of material and cultural development of places - nost).

Buildings are the places where people live with all the variety of their occupations and life͵ and structures are the results of construction that change conditions economic activity... Buildings usually include housing, premises for monetary, managerial actions, entertainment, information, educational activities, and facilities for amelioration and water management systems, dams, bridges, and production facilities. The border between buildings and structures is movable. Thus, a theater room is a building, and a stage mechanism is a structure. A warehouse can be called both a building and a structure. They are united by the fact that they are the result of construction activities.

The culture of buildings and structures, like the soil, is a property that should not be destroyed in its functional qualities. This means that the culture of buildings and structures consists in maintaining and constantly improving their useful functions.

The authorities, especially local ones, oversee the maintenance and development of this culture. The role of chambers of commerce and industry is especially great, which being public organizations are directly engaged in this work (of course, where they are, and where they function correctly). Banks can play an important role in this cultural work, which, however, do not always act correctly, forgetting that their prosperity in the future is connected, first of all, with the correct operation of real estate.

5. Tools, fixtures and equipment - a category of material culture that provides all types of physical and mental labor. Οʜᴎ represent real estate and differ based on the type of activity they serve. Most complete list a variety of tools, fixtures and equipment are trade nomenclature.

The peculiarity of correctly drawn up trade nomenclatures is that they reflect the entire history of improving tools, fixtures and equipment. The principle of culture formation in the development and differentiation of functions and the preservation of early functional analogs.

The difference between tools, fixtures and equipment is that the tool directly affects the material being processed, fixtures serve as an addition to the tool, allowing them to operate with greater precision and productivity. Equipment - a set of tools and devices located in one place of work and life.

Material culture and its types. - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Material culture and its types." 2017, 2018.

The expression "uncivilized person", which we often encounter in Everyday life, from the point of view of philosophy, is absolutely wrong. As a rule, when we say this, we mean poor upbringing or lack of education. Man is always cultured, for he is a social being, and any society has its own culture. Another thing is that the degree of its development is not always at a high level, but this already depends on many accompanying factors: a specific historical period, conditions of development and the possibilities that society has at its disposal. Culture is an integral part of the life of all mankind and each individual individual. There can be no society without culture, as well as culture - without society, it creates a person, and a person her. Any new generation begins its existence in the world of spiritual and material values ​​that have already developed among their ancestors.

Interconnection of cultures

Any human activity and all his achievements are

are part of a culture, either material or spiritual. Moreover, it is impossible to draw a clear boundary between them. Material and spiritual culture, one way or another, are inextricably linked with each other. For example, a wardrobe that appeared in our house is a completely physical object, but when it was created, intellectual abilities people showed imagination and logical thinking... In the same time greatest works art, which is an indisputable spiritual value, would hardly have come into being if it were not for the artist's brush, but for the philosopher of paper and pen. Also in Ancient rome the most talented orator Cicero noted that along with cultivation, which in those days meant the cultivation and cultivation of the land, there is another culture - "cultivation of the soul."

Basic concepts

Material culture includes all the variety of objects produced by mankind: clothing, housing, mechanisms, weapons, cars, household items, musical instruments and so on. The basis of the same spiritual culture is the products of human intellectual activity, everything that has been achieved by the power of thought and talent. For example, these are new ideas and discoveries, religion, philosophy, works of art and psychology. If spiritual culture is the totality of the results of human intellectual activity, then material culture is the objective world created by human hands.

What culture is more important

Material culture, like spiritual culture, lives according to its own laws, there is no direct connection between the levels of their development. Improvement material well-being people were not always accompanied by the growth of their spiritual development, and many of the greatest works of art were created in complete poverty. However, it is also indisputable that a person in need of housing, food and clothing will not think about lofty matters. Only "well-fed" people who have satisfied their physical needs can reach for philosophy and art. Material culture will clearly show how a person has adapted to life, whether he is in harmony with nature, while spiritual culture sets the basic standards of behavior, forms a sense of high and beautiful, creates ideals. Spiritual and material culture includes everything that is not given to us by nature, that is created by human labor, that significantly distinguishes us from animals. Only the harmony of these two cultures will help to achieve a high level of existence of both one person and the whole state.

Each of us has needs that can be divided into spiritual and material. To do this, it is enough to remember the pyramid famous psychologist Maslow, in which, in a hierarchical sequence, the lower (the need for food, sex, air, etc.) and the higher gravities of a person (the desire to be a respected person, craving for self-affirmation, a sense of security, comfort, etc.) were shown. To satisfy all of the above in the process historical development of humanity, classifications of a cultural nature have been formed, including material culture.

What is material culture?

Recall that material culture is called surrounding man Wednesday. Every day, thanks to the work of everyone, it is renewed and improved. This gives rise to a new standard of living, as a result of which the needs of society are changing.

The types of material culture include:

1. Animals... This category includes not only livestock, but also decorative breeds of cats, birds, dogs, etc. True, cheetahs to this kind do not apply because they live in wildlife and were not subject to the process of purposeful crossing with other species of their own kind. And cats, dogs, whose development has been invaded by man, are a representative of material culture. Also, one of these reasons is that their gene pool, appearance, has been changed.
2. Plants... The number of new varieties is increasing every year. Man achieves this through selection.
3. The soil... it upper layer land, fertilizing which every farmer seeks to get a bountiful harvest. True, in the race for money, environmental indicators are sometimes ignored, and as a result, the earth is filled with harmful bacteria and viruses.
4. Building... No less important achievement of material culture is considered to be structures, architecture, which is created with the help of human labor. The culture of buildings includes real estate, which is constantly being improved, and thereby improving the standard of living of people.
5. Equipment, tools... With their help, a person simplifies his work, spends on achieving something in two or more times less time. This, in turn, significantly saves his life time.
6. Transport... This category, like the previous one, is aimed at improving the standard of living. For example, earlier, when many merchants traveled to China for silk, it took at least a year to get from the United States to this country. Now it is enough to just buy a ticket and no need to wait 360 days.
7. Means of communication... Scope includes a marvel of technology mobile phones, the world wide web, radio, mail.

Features of material culture

It should be noted that the distinctive quality of this type of culture is the variety of objects created by human labor, which helps to quickly adapt to changeable environmental conditions and social environment. In addition, each nation has its own material characteristics that are characteristic of a particular ethnic group.

The relationship of material and spiritual culture

One of the main intermediaries between the world of the spiritual and the material is money. So, they can be spent on the purchase of much-needed food, clothing that helps not to freeze in the frosty winter, or just interior elements. It all depends on the desire of the person and his capabilities. With the help of this market equivalent, one can purchase a ticket to a seminar where a person will increase his level of knowledge, which is already a spiritual culture, or he can go to the theater.

The structure of culture (material and spiritual)

Such a large number of definitions is explained by the fact that the structure of culture is complex, multifunctional and multifaceted, as it includes the education system, science, literature, art, religion, etc.

The cultural process is the accumulation of material and spiritual values ​​by society, the layering of eras, times and peoples, fused together. This is a human activity, based on the left legacy of 1200 generations of our kind, fertilizing and transmitting this legacy to those who will replace the living.

Culture can be divided into two main types - material and spiritual, which are closely interconnected.

Material culture includes: the culture of work and material production; culture of everyday life; topos culture, i.e. place of residence (dwellings, houses, villages, cities); culture of attitude to one's own body; physical education... Spiritual culture includes cognitive (intellectual) culture; moral; artistic; legal; pedagogical. Do not forget that worship, veneration, honor, and cult also belong to spiritual culture. First of all, there is a religious cult. In ancient times, man was constantly surrounded by gods: he met them in the field and in the grove, in the green of trees, in shady grottoes and river creeks, but the gods lived both in the city and in the man's house, they protected the city laws and the safety of citizens.

Material culture satisfies the needs of people with its material content, while spiritual culture not only satisfies the flesh, but also develops abilities. It follows from this that what more people develops spiritually, the more it changes material culture.

It is natural for a person to decorate his life, and therefore, objects of material culture in most cases are aesthetically designed and not only help our body to exist, but also delight the soul. For example, you can drink water directly from the tap, or you can drink from a crystal glass. This means that the spiritual side is always present in the works of a person. Cultural objects can belong to material and spiritual culture at the same time. For example, in works of architecture, arts and crafts. Both the house and the palace serve as housing, and the temple in various historical periods of time was not only a place for religious rituals, but also a place for meetings, a repository of valuables and even a classroom.

Another important point consists in the fact that cultural objects can change their main purpose in the process of existence. For example, furniture and clothing, which have become museum exhibits, can be used to study the way of life and customs of a certain era.

In turn, each component of spiritual culture can be structured. For example, religion - Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, etc .; science - humanitarian and technical, which can also be structured in more detail; art - decorative, plastic, easel, etc.

The main functions of culture

Culture performs many functions: educational, social, upbringing, etc. There are three main functions that allow society to exist for a long time. historical period, enter modern age- it is cognitive, informative, communicative.

The first - the cognitive function - is the knowledge of the world, country, society, or some phenomenon, self-knowledge (education, upbringing). Such a function concentrates in itself the experience of many generations of people, the ability to accumulate the richest knowledge about the world and thereby create favorable opportunities for its cognition and development. We can say that society is intelligent to the extent that knowledge is used in the cultural gene pool of mankind. All types of society living on earth today differ primarily in this type. Some of them demonstrate an amazing ability through culture to take all the best that people have accumulated and put them at their service. For example, Japan is showing great ability in many areas of science, technology, and production. Others still live in tribes and are not able to use the cognitive functions of culture, dooming themselves to social anemia and backwardness.

The second - informative - is the accumulation, preservation and transmission of cultural information from generation to generation, from one country to another, from civilization to civilization, acting as a person's social memory. Therefore, it is important not only to preserve cultural values, but also to transfer them.

The third - communicative - means of transmitting cultural information, distance learning. Culture is a sign system that must be understood or deciphered. This means that without understanding the specifics of the language of the world of music, painting, sculpture, architecture, theater, philosophy, etc. it is impossible to understand their content. The same applies to the language of physics, chemistry, mathematics and other natural sciences, which have their own sign systems.