ABSTRACT
Culture can be defined as a shared set of values, skills, artifacts, and beliefs amongst a group of individuals. There is an inherent social dimension to culture. Culture is shared amongst members of a group via a process of social learning from person to person, both within and across generations. Differences in culture also form one way of distinguishing between social groups. It is to be noted that culture in this context does not mean ‘high culture’ (opera, art, etc.), although this would be a component of it. Culture encompasses far more than this, including skills (e.g. literacy), technology (e.g. tool-making from spears to computers), and beliefs (including but not limited to religious beliefs). One tends to think of culture as an environmental rather than a genetic effect. We are not born predisposed to speak a particular language or believe a particular religion. However, whilst the differences between cultures are entirely attributable to environmental factors (our time and place of birth), the similarities between cultures (including the fact that we are all immersed in one) are almost certainly down to biology and evolution. Our brains have developed in such a way that allows us to both create and absorb shared knowledge, skills, and beliefs.
