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Originally Posted By: LukeJavan8
Crows have been known to drop rocks on nuts to crack them.
Wich made me think:
A man domesticates a crow to be his nut-cracker, that's culture.
A crow who uses a nut-cracker to crack nuts is a cultured crow.

Hypothetically. wink

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Originally Posted By: LukeJavan8
Crows have been known to drop rocks on nuts to crack them.


Crows have been known to put nuts under the wheels of cars stopped for red lights to crack them.

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I'm a bit late joining this debate - sorry, looking the other way1
FWIW - I go along with Branny and Jackie to a great extent, but would add that the word "culture" has become broadened over the years since Matthew Arnold started the debate in 1867 (Culture and Anarchy Cirnhill Magazine)
It has become very contexturalised and can mean very different things to different people on different occasions. Which, I think, is very similar to Jackie's point.

Last edited by Rhubarb Commando; 01/04/13 02:40 PM. Reason: typo

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One could define "Culture" as a learned responce, as opposed to a genetic responce, to situational conditions, except (at last, my chance to name-drop) E.O. Wilson would disagree. I chatted with "Ed" smile twice last year and both times he opined that collective ant behavior could best be described as ant Culture.

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The ant master of the world chooses his words with care: ' that collective ant behavior could best be described as ant Culture.' He did not say 'ís ant Culture'.
Till now we focussed on the sociological and anthropological part only.
Culture certainly had become a very stretchable word. As Jackie mentioned: each one his own culture, his own value in spite of the general similarities?

To Mavericks original question I still have no answer.
'What does the word culture mean to you?'
All I can say is: "a lot" (which isn't much)

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:¬ )
The cake is back too! As for the Alt and lowercase L I just took the easy road : 'beg, steal or borrow' :¬ )

Happy birthday!

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I often think of cognates and other etymologically-related words when asked to define a term or word. Latin cultus 'worship' is rather neutral WRT connotations, but English cult is pejorative and getting more pejus all the time. Cultus is the past passive participle of Latin colo, colere. 'to care for (someone or something); tend, till'. Thus agriculture (caring for fields) and horticulture (caring for gardens).

I think of culture, in its modern meaning, as the sum total of knowledge things produced by an ethnos, folk, or some other societal group. I don't think of language as culture, but a vehicle for it. (Oh, well; not very original or deep.)


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Originally Posted By: BranShea
:¬ )
The cake is back too!
Happy birthday!


Thank you!!


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Yes, indeed, eta - Many Happies - have a R ight G ood day.. I shall raise a pint glas s to you ths evening.


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Likewise, best for your next year.


----please, draw me a sheep----
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