Unit 1

Culture Society and Politics

 CULTURE
Includes anything made by man.
• Language
• Customs
• Values
• Norms
• Rules
• Tools
• Products
• Organizations/ Institutions
 Society
General definition
-Group of people interacting with each other.
 Politics

• Politics is equal to power

Politics is a collective activity, involving people
who accept a common membership or at least
acknowledge a shared fate.
Man’s Social and Cultural Background
“Change is the only permanent thing in this
world.” - Heraclitus
 Nation-state
Is a sovereign state whose citizens or subjects
have a common culture. They speak the same
language, have a common descent, and share a
common history. Having citizens with common
culture, nation-state, therefore, is a major
component of personal identity.
 Personal Identity
Is the concept you develop about yourself that
evolves over the course of your life.
Our personal identity is both cultural and
political which is guided by our personal
encounters or experiences.
Ex. A naturalized Filipina in Japan, may identify
herself as a Filipina, having come from a nation-
state called the Philippines and possessing the
culture of most Filipinos.
 People and their Definition of Culture
• David Bohm – individual already contains the
whole information field of society.
• Schwartz – culture of any society represents an
adaptation or adjustments to the various
conditions of life including PHYSICAL, SOCIAL and
SUPERNATURAL ENVIRONMENT.
• Edward B. Tylor – culture refers to complex whole
w/c includes: knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals,
laws and customs acquired by man as a member
of the society.
 Culture
EXPERIENCE = LEARNINGS

DIVINE LAW-BIBLE
PANINIWALA
UNIVERSAL LAW- SOCIETY
KNOWLEDGE

MORALS BELIEFS

RIGHT OR WRONG
ETHICS CULTURE

CUSTOMS ARTS

TRADITIONAL BEHAVIOR OR EXPRESSION OF

COMMON PRACTICES FEELINGS
LAWS

COMMON UNDERSTANDING
SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING CULTURE
SOCIETY AND POLITCS
CULTURE
To understand man’s social experience, it is
necessary to make a wider analysis of man’s
relationship to its natural environment.
 According to Mark Banaag
Culture functions in the following ways and from which we can realize the significance of
culture as well:

Adaption &
Integration

Patterns of
Human acceptable
Satisfaction social
Significance behavior
of culture

Product of Conveys &

Man-made facilitates
things meaning
 Society
As individuals continued to interact, societies
were formed. It is a product of human social
process intended to meet basic needs for
survival. Every society is organized in such a way
that there are rules of conduct, customs,
traditions, folkways and mores, and
expectations that ensure appropriate behavior
among members.
 Studying society provides us an idea
on its importance in creating an equal,
just and humane society.
Representation
of our identity

Avenue for
Significance Characterize
economic
of society the totality of
inter-
a territory
dependence

Symbol of political
independence
 Politics
People tend to associate politics with power. The
connotation was form through man’s
relationship with other people.
According to Ricardo Lazo
Politics may be viewed in different ways.

Consensus
and
compromise
Academics
Society

Politics

Power and
Public affair distribution
of resources
Art of
government
These perspectives show the wide-ranging ideas
about politics which affect the life of every
individual specially on human relationship.

Haque defines politics in diff. ways but whatever

definition is attached to it there are four
important points inherent to it
 Initial Reconcilia-
Collective Authorita-
diversity tion of
Activity tive policy
of views difference

a. Politics is a collective activity, involving people who accepts a common embership

or at least acknowledge a shared fate.
b. Politics presumes an initial diversity of views, if not about goals then least about
means
c. Politics involves reconciling difference through discussion and persuasion
d. Political decision that are implemented by force if necessary.