Understanding Cultural Diversity and Human Evolution
Fixity, Creationism, and Naturalism
Fixity: A position taken by some theories that species are immutable.
Creationism: A doctrine that species are immutable because they have been created by a superior being.
Naturalism: The belief that nature, through natural processes, would have produced the various species.
Culture and Society
Enculturation: The social process through which culture is learned and transmitted from generation to generation.
Culture: The set of knowledge, skills, tools, ideas, beliefs, traditions, and customs that characterize a people or an era.
Subculture: A group that is seamlessly integrated within a culture but has some distinctive features that differentiate its members from others in that culture. Within each culture, there are differences caused by age, socioeconomic status, social class, and ethnicity.
Counterculture: A movement of rebellion against the hegemonic culture, presenting an alternative draft of culture and society. Examples include urban tribes or social groups that challenge mainstream norms.
Attitudes Towards Cultural Diversity
- Ethnocentrism: The belief that one’s own culture is superior and, therefore, the measure of all others. This can lead to misunderstanding and disrespect, manifesting in attitudes like xenophobia and racism.
- Cultural Relativism: The idea that each culture should be assessed based on its own values. This can lead to a lack of interest in other cultures and a reluctance to engage in dialogue.
- Interculturalism: The belief that each culture has its specificity, but it should promote a dialogue between cultures to discover common universal values and learn to respect those that are not shared. Interculturalism is considered the most suitable position in reality.
- Universalism: The belief that all cultures have values desirable for anyone and that these values should be found in every culture. It maintains that there are elements common to all cultures resulting from the existence of human nature. There are also certain values that are desirable in themselves, regardless of whether or not they are part of specific cultures.
- Multiculturalism: The coexistence of different social groups within a political community, some of whom do not share the culture that pervades mainstream society and, therefore, feel excluded. One of society’s tasks is to try to create an identity that does not dispense with cultural differences but includes them. Interculturalism is one of the most promising ways to achieve this.
Humanization and Hominization
Humanization should analyze the process by which human beings have come to constitute themselves as an independent species from a biological standpoint. This process is called Hominization. Along with this term, we usually also speak of Humanization. It refers to the more cultural and less physical aspects of being human.
Evolution and the Crisis of Belief
The significance of the theory of evolution is not just scientific but also cultural. The dissemination of Darwinism affects how we view the universe and the place of human beings within it. It is a radical and profound questioning of our anthropocentrism. The theory of evolution challenges philosophers to consider its meaning and ultimate significance, as we face a fundamental question: Is man a product of chance?
Darwin and the Critical Attitude of Modern Culture
Darwin is one of the leading exponents of the critical attitude of science and philosophy in relation to some of the key ideas of Western culture, such as the one that assigned humans a privileged place among all beings. Darwin’s evolutionary theory is related to the heliocentric theory of Copernicus and Freud’s theory of personality. The human being no longer occupies a central place in the universe, as the Earth is no longer considered the center of the universe but is seen as just another planet.