In this lesson, you will have a glance on the understanding of culture, society, and politics.

Our identity
and unique differences reflect the kinds of culture in our society.

"A person may escape society for a while, but he can never escape culture." - Joseph H. Fichter

Natural Science and Social Science

Social Science

o Nisbet 1974) stated that "it is a branch of discipline or branch of science that deals with human
behavior in its social and cultural aspect"
o it is also the field of human knowledge that deals with all aspects of the group of life of human
beings
o Social scientist use empirical research methods to investigate all sorts of interpersonal and
intrapersonal behaviors

Natural Science

- studies natural events

Social Science

- the human society

The study of Social Sciences goes beyond the physical aspect and materialistic phenomenon. it paved
the way to the development of different disciplines which aim to interpret and analyze the complexities
of social realities and phenomenon. Such disciplines focus on human relationships and interactions.

Person known in the field of sociology

Auguste Comte (1798 -1857)

- French philosopher

- coined the term sociology in 1838

- is the founder of Positivism - middle of the 19th century

- He focused on the idea of improving the development of the society and how it operates

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

- german philosopher and economist

- he made the Communist Manifestro (1848) - book

- believed that societies developed and progressed because of the struggles of different social classes
over the means of production

Max Weber (1864 - 1920)

- Role of rationalization

- As the world progressed, people began to justify and adopt scientific and rational attitude towards
understanding the workings of the world.

Ares of Sociology

1. Social Organization

2. Social Psychology

3. Human Ecology

4. Applied Sociology

5. Population Studies

6. Social Change

7. Sociological Theory and Research

Anthropology

- It came from a Latin word 'anthropos' - means man and Greek word 'logos' - means to study

- deals with all aspects of human beings including their biological evolution and social and cultural
features that definitively distinguish humans from other animal species.

- Physical anthropology focuses on the biological and evolutionary framework of humanity. it focuses on
greater information and details about human evolution
- Social Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Psychological Anthropology, and Linguistic Anthropology

UNDERSTANDING CULTaURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS

 Social Science
o Nisbet (1974) stated that “it is a branch of discipline or branch of science that deals with
human behavior in its social and cultural aspects”.
o It is also the field of human knowledge that deals with all aspects of the group of life of
human beings
o Social scientist use empirical research methods to investigate all sorts of interpersonal and
intrapersonal behaviors
o The human society

 Natural Science
o as both branches of Science. It is a branch of science that deals with the natural world: its
processes, elements, and composition.
o studies natural events

 Sociology
o came from the Latin word socius – means companion and Greek word logos – means to
study.
o It is a systematic study of human relationship along with human society and interaction.
It was originally called as “Social Physics” by Auguste Comte.

 Political Science
o came from two ancient words the Greek word “polis” means city-state and science
comes from Latin word “scire” which means to know.

 Anthropology
o is a branch of Social Science that deals with all aspects of human beings including their
biological evolution and social and cultural features that definitively distinguish humans
from other animal species.
o It came from a Latin word anthropos – means man and Greek word logos – means to
study.
o promotes a holistic study of humans.
o “the study of people-their origins, their development, and contemporary variations,
whenever they have been found on the face of the earth” (Ember, and Peregrine, 2010).
Key Informants

 are individuals in a society who have significant knowledge on the topic being studied by the
anthropologists.

Five disciplines of Anthropology

1. Archaeology
 examines the remains of ancient and historical human populations to promote an
understanding of how humans have adapted to their environment and developed;
 human culture by analyzing the objects people have made.

2. Cultural Anthropology
 promotes the study of a society’s culture through their belief systems, practices, and
possessions.

3. Linguistic Anthropology
 examines the language of a group of people and its relation to their culture.

4. Physical Anthropology
 looks into the biological development of humans and their contemporary variations.

5. Applied Anthropology
 attempts to solve contemporary problems through the application of theories and
approaches of the discipline.

The Goals of Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Science

 Anthropology
- Internalize the concept of individual differences and diversity
- Discover universality among humans
- See cultural patterns objectively
- Produce new knowledge and new theories about humankind and human behavior

 Sociology
- Obtain theories and principles about society
- Examine social roles within the society
 - See the interdependency of all beings
- Broaden familiarity on sociological facts.

 Political Science
- Understand civic skills and humane ideals for public participation
- Examine the operations of the government
- Equip each of us intellectual resources that will harness you to greater heights

Person known in the field of Sociology

1. Auguste Comte (1798 - 1857)

o French Philosopher
o coined the term sociology in 1838.
o is the founder of Positivism –middle of 19th century.
o He focused on the idea of improving the development of the society and how it
operates and that this new field could produce a knowledge of society based on
scientific evidence. (Empirical research)
o Positivism is the name for the scientific study of the social world. Its goal is to
formulate abstract and universal laws on the operative dynamics of the social
universe.

2. Karl Marx (1818–1883)

o German philosopher and economist.
o He made Communist Manifesto (1848) – book.
o believed that societies developed and progressed because of the struggles of different
social classes over the means of production

3. Max Weber (1864-1920)

o Role of rationalization
o As the world progressed, people began to justify and adopt scientific and rational
attitude towards understanding the workings of the world.

EXPERT IN ANTHROPOLOGY

1. Franz Boas (1858-1942)

o Father of American Anthropology.
o His works focused on rejecting the biological basis of racism or racial discrimination.
o He suggested that anthropology must be holistic and eclectic.
 o He also rejected the Western idea of social evolution thus, he favored historical
particularism.
o He also advocated cultural relativism or the complexity of all culture whether
primitive or not.

Importance of Studying Culture, Society and Politics

Importance of Studying Culture

 Banaag (2012) posited that culture can function in different ways and which we can see its
importance as well.
o Culture creates man to be creative and resourceful by adapting and integrating
himself in the environment to survive
o Culture determines outline of acceptable social behavior such as protocols, good
manners, roles, and duties established by folkways, mores, and laws.
o Culture carry-out meanings through different forms of verbal and non-verbal
communication.
o Culture produces tangible objects relevant to man such as instruments, tools,
equipment, structures, and all technological advancements.
o Culture contributes to the totality of living of humankind as well as on how they can
make their lives enjoyable, easier, and comfortable.

Importance of Studying Society

o human connection and interconnectedness

o symbolizing identity of the members
o characterizing the boundaries of a territory
o representing political independence and economic interdependence

Importance of Studying Politics

 According to Lazo (2009), the aim of Political Science is citizenship education. It mandates its
students to participate, appreciate, and understand the duties and responsibilities of being a
member of a society. It allows the students to:
o understand the theories, concepts and knowledge and principles of governance as
well as public administration and political dynamics.
o manifest the underlying principles of state policies and laws to be abided and
respected by all
o prepares the student for possible career path in the legal profession, government
service and other profession with high respect to legal matters and procedures.
Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives on Culture and Society: CULTURE

- Culture
o Is everything that a person learns as a member of a society.
o Edward B. Tylor (1832-1917) “culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge,
beliefs, arts, morals, law, custom, and all aspects of man as a member of society”. (THE
FAMOUS DEFINITION)
o Two Types of Culture:
 Material Culture
 it includes all the tangible and visible parts of culture, which include
clothes, food, and even buildings.
 Nonmaterial Culture
 includes all the intangible parts of culture, which consist of values,
ideas, and knowledge.
 Just like material culture, the belief and value systems of societies differ
from one another based on their environment and history.

CULTURE DEFINITION FROM OTHER EXPERTS

1. Matthew Arnold
o in his Culture and Anarchy (1867)
o mentioned that culture or high culture as opposed to popular culture (or folkways in an earlier
usage) is a product of a special intellectual or artistic endeavor humans had invented.

2. Kroeber & Kluckhohn (1952)

o defined that culture is composed of behavior (explicit and implicit) acquired and transmitted
through symbols.
o It is a human group that includes their distinctive achievements and embodiment in artifacts,
traditional and historical ideas, and formation of values.
o They added that culture systems can be considered as a product of action from conditional
elements of a society.

3. Schwartz (1992)
 o stated that culture consists of experiences that are organized, learned or created by the
individuals of a population,
o including those images and images adding up their unique interpretations transmitted from the
past generations up to the future.

Aspect of Culture

1. Culture is learned.
o Culture is a set of beliefs, attitudes, and practices that an individual learns through his or
her family, school, church and other institutions.
 Enculturation
o it is the process of learning that it is your own culture.
 Acculturation
o it is the process that culture can be modified or changed to accommodate desired traits
from other cultures.
o (ex;) the inclination of some Filipinos toward some elements of Korean culture has led to the
acceptance of Korean pop songs despite their being performed in a foreign language.
 De-culturation
o it is where the reasons for the culture has been lost and even the cultural trait itself is in the
process of being forgotten.

2. Culture is shared.
o The set of behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that a person possess is part of a greater
collection of values and ideas that is communally owned and practiced by members of a
society.
o Hence, to share a culture, it must be taught to members of contemporary society who will,
in turn, teach the younger generation.

3. Culture affects biology.

o Humans are born into cultures that have values on beauty and body. As such, they alter
their bodies to fit into the physiological norms that are dictated by culture.
o (ex.) Mursi tribe of Ethiopia in Africa, wearing lip plates is a sign of beauty. Women are the
ones who are expected to wear them to appear desirable to men.

4. Culture is adaptive
o Culture is a tool for survival that humans in response to the pressures of their environment.
o Both material and the nonmaterial parts of culture are influenced by the goal of humans to
address their needs as dictated by their environment and their biology.
 5. Culture is maladaptive
o Culture can also cause problems for the people who subscribe to it.
o These problems arise when the environment has changed and culture has remained the
same.

Elements of Culture

1. Norms
o These are the standard an expected behavior within a society. It is divided into two:
formal norms and informal norms.
 Formal Norms
 Mores – they are norms that has a firm control to moral and ethical
behavior.
 Laws – they are ordinance of reason enacted to protect the people from
the bad effects of outdates mores.
 Informal Norms
 Folkways or Customs – they are behaviors of less importance yet still
influence our behavior.

2. Symbols
o These are anything that carry a meaning recognized by people who share a culture.

3. Values
o These are culturally defined standards by which people assess desirability,
goodness, and beauty and that serve as broad guidelines for social living.

4. Beliefs
o These are specific statements that people hold to be true.

5. Language
o It refers to a form of communication using words either spoken or gestured with the
hands and structured with grammar, often with a writing system.
 6. Taboos
o It refers to a form of communication using words either spoken or gestured with the
hands and structured with grammar, often with a writing system.

Different theories on Culture

1. Cultural evolutionism
o All cultures undergo the same development stages in the same order.
o The main classifications includes violence, cruelty, and civilization.

2. Diffusionism
o All societies as a result of cultural borrowing from one another.

3. Historicism
o Each culture is unique and must be studied in its own context.

4. Psychological anthropology
o Personality is largely seen to be the result of learning culture.

5. Functionalism
o Existing institutional structures of any society are thought to perform indispensable functions,
without the society could not continue.

6. Neo- evolutionism
o Culture is said to be shaped by environmental and technological conditions. Cultures evolve
when people are able to increase the amount of energy under their control.

7. Materialism
o Culture is the product of the “material conditions” in which a given community of people find
itself.

8. Symbolic interactionism
 o It is a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday
interactions of individuals.

“FUNCTION” SOCIETY

o Any consequence of social structures that positively affect society and impacts structural
continuity.
o as a relationship between an organism and its parts of the organs. 
o a unit or set of systems that fulfils an identified role or need within the society.