Material and spiritual culture

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

What is the word "culture" associated with? With courtesy, tact. This is a culture of behavior. And what else is she? For example, if we are talking about the cultures of the peoples of the world, it is divided into spiritual and material.

The concept of "material culture" was introduced by anthropologists who studied traditional societies. This is a part of the culture that can be seen and even touched - built houses and ships, dishes and utensils, objects of religious worship. Over time, this concept has expanded. It began to include all objects of human activity and the very process of their production. Clothing, transport, means of communication, and any household items were included. Human knowledge and experience are invested in all this.

Spiritual culture covers the sphere of consciousness. This area includes science and art, philosophy and education, morality, religion, mythology.

Blurred borders

And yet we live in such a world that the line between these types of culture can be called conditional. The scientific idea belongs to spiritual culture. But when it is embodied in a new device, aircraft or robot, the created object becomes part of material culture. Artistic idea in generalcannot be born without being embodied in something material: a picture, a book, a statue. Otherwise, it remains only the intention of the author.

On the edge

And yet we are clearly aware that the new model of a mobile phone is material culture, and the artist's canvas is spiritual. But some types of culture can be attributed to both areas. This gives rise to numerous disputes among culturologists.

What is architecture? It all depends on what angle you look at! The guide shows a group of tourists a grandiose temple, tells about the history of its construction, architectural style and features. From this point of view, the building is a work of art, that is, it belongs to the spiritual culture. But any building is functional, it has purely utilitarian functions, it can be a residential building, a school, a factory. It has communications. From this position, architecture becomes part of material culture. And this is regardless of what is in front of us - a residential building, a temple or a museum.

At the junction of spiritual and material culture is design, technical creativity. It is a combination of art and technology. The art of photography and cinema became possible only thanks to the development of technology. Some film experts believe that film is becoming less of an art and more of a technique. After all, the quality of the film and the impression made on the viewer are increasingly dependent on shooting and special effects.

One can disagree with this position. Technique cannot replace talented actors. The work of a screenwriter and director cannot be performed by a computer. And allone cannot deny the importance of the development of technology for modern cinema.

Television also occupies an intermediate position. As part of technology, it refers to material culture. But as a force that shapes the worldview of the population, it turns out to be a spiritual culture.

Value difference

Objects of material culture differ in that they have a temporary value. In addition, this value is expressed in money. “Inspiration is not for sale, but you can sell a manuscript,” wrote A. S. Pushkin.

The values of spiritual culture are very close to universal ones. This is beauty, goodness, truth, life, love. Although in each era they are understood a little differently, they are always relevant. In the same way, great works of art do not lose their value as they pass through the ages. Can The Sistine Madonna Be Obsolete? Often, the imprint of antiquity only enhances the value of ancient works of art.

But the values of material culture quickly become obsolete. Vehicles, machines and buildings wear out. Clothing and equipment become obsolete functionally faster than materially. Clothing goes out of fashion faster than it breaks. And gadgets are improving so fast that you just have to buy a new model, as even more new ones appear.

Forms of material culture

If we assume that material culture is only objects, you can seriously make a mistake. It has several forms:

Production - this includes the means of production, its results, andalso infrastructure such as transport and communications.

Life is a very broad area, which includes both numerous everyday items - clothes, food, furniture, housing itself - and the traditions of family life - raising children. The latter can smoothly flow into the realm of the spiritual.

Bodily culture - the attitude of a person to his body - is also almost at the intersection of material and spiritual culture, since it is associated with religion, customs, moral and social norms.

Ecological culture is the attitude of a person to the natural environment.

Distinctive features of spiritual culture

This form of culture is not utilitarian. Of course, it can also be of practical use, but still it is valuable in itself. If we talk about the needs of the people that it satisfies, then these are rather psychological needs. Due to the separation from practical use, spiritual culture gives the creator the greatest possible freedom of self-expression.

In addition, imagination plays a huge role in it, so a person is not constrained by the framework of reality. The world of fantasy, fictional images becomes in it as full-fledged as the world of real experience. These creations are valuable even when they have no material embodiment.

The spiritual culture of society is most vulnerable during periods of social cataclysms. In these difficult times, people are concerned with survival, so everything that does not serve a utilitarian purpose is dumped like useless ballast. But as the years pass, there comes a period of stabilitythe most sensitive and intelligent people feel an acute shortage of spiritual values, and the less receptive are simply hardened.

Therefore, spiritual culture must be protected artificially, by the efforts of the state and society. It is wonderful that in the most difficult times, for example, during the siege of Leningrad, there were people who saved works of art, wrote symphonies, preserved rare books or icons.

What forms of spiritual culture can be identified?

Mythology

Mythology is one of the oldest forms of spiritual culture. It takes us back to the distant pagan times. At that time, people did not yet have systematic knowledge of nature, did not possess science and technology at a high level. Therefore, many natural phenomena were terrible, unpredictable, inexplicable for them. In an effort to find peace and harmony, the predictability of the world, people created myths. They helped me understand what was going on. The mythology of each nation is closely connected with natural conditions, with traditions and everyday life.

Religion

This is a form of spiritual culture, which is based on faith in God (or gods) and the desire for unity with the Higher powers. In its most ancient forms, religion was closely associated with mythology. Myths are mainly dedicated to gods and spirits.

There are three world religions - those that have spread across different continents, stepping over the borders of individual countries. These are Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.

Religion plays a huge role in the spiritual culture of Russia. It is difficult to overestimate the influence of Orthodoxy. Itorganically merged into the moral ideas of a Russian person, and into Russian art, and into philosophy. According to 2013 data, Orthodox Christians make up 79% of the population of Russia. Muslims number from 4 to 7%, they are mainly Tatars, Bashkirs, and also some residents of the Caucasus. Buddhists are less than a percent. This religion is typical for Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia.

Art

This is a very special area of spiritual culture, especially brightly reflecting its essence. Both the creation and contemplation of works of art are considered aesthetic activities. Aesthetics is the study of beauty. But all the variety of forms of art cannot live only by external beauty, it has always reflected the values, hopes, reflections and feelings of a person and an entire era. Art includes a wide range of very different types, from painting to photography, from literature to music.

Philosophy and Science

Initially knowledge of the world and its laws was carried out by philosophy. This form of society's spiritual culture existed to comprehend the world, but, unlike mythology, it was already based on logic, and not on imagination. Separate sciences gradually “branched” from philosophy: first, the exact and natural sciences, such as mathematics, physics, and later, the humanities, such as psychology. Philosophy and ethical issues were of concern. She laid the foundations of the spiritual and moral culture of modern civilization.

Science is narrower, more concrete, and more factual. Philosophylooks at the world more generally. Science plays an increasingly important role in the life of modern man. It has an impact not only on material culture, allowing you to create the benefits of civilization, but also on the spiritual, for example, the worldview of people.

And what about philosophy? Is it necessary in today's world? Yes, all the more so, it provides indispensable assistance to science: it forms new subject areas, explanatory principles and ideas.

Folk culture

What can be said about the spiritual culture of the peoples of Russia? First of all, we will talk about religion and mythology, traditions, values, art. Philosophy and even more so science are still more general formations that strive for globality.

Russian art and customs did not experience secularization for a long time and developed in line with Orthodoxy, which became the basis of spiritual culture. Secular painting and literature in Russia were formed much later than in Europe, and have a deep originality. A special view of the world is characteristic, for example, of classical Russian literature. The culture of other peoples of Russia also bears the stamp of the religions inherent in these peoples. Enthusiasts strive to preserve the art and traditions of small peoples.