C4.

Cultures And Civilization

CUPRINS

4.1. About Human Values

4.2. About Cultures
4.3. About Civilization
4.4. About Technique–Technology– Artifacts

References
 4.1. About Human Values

What is the value?

- Value is a property of an object (physical or abstract object).

-Value is a ratio between an object and the subject who appreciates

that object.
Valoarea este un raport între un obiect și subiectul care apreciază
acel obiec
Does it satisfy the needs/requirements?

Object Subject

Valorisation
VALOÁRE, valori, s. f. I. 1. Proprietate a ceea ce este bun,
dezirabil și important; p. restr. lucrul bun, dezirabil, important ca
atare (adevărul, binele, frumosul); importanță, însemnătate, preț,
merit.

◊ Scară de valori = ierarhie a valorilor. Judecată de valoare =

judecată normativă care enunță o apreciere. ◊ Loc. adj. De
valoare = a) (despre lucruri) prețios, scump, de preț; valoros; b)
(despre oameni) important, merituos; cu autoritate; valoros.

◊ Expr. A scoate (sau a pune) în valoare = a arăta, a

demonstra importanța, calitățile esențiale ale unei ființe, ale unui
lucru, ale unui fenomen etc.; a scoate în relief, a sublinia.
♦ (Concr.) Ceea ce este important, valoros, vrednic de apreciere,
de stimă (din punct de vedere material, social, moral etc.). ♦
(Concr.) Persoană vrednică de stimă, cu însușiri deosebite .
. 2. Eficacitate, putere. Valoare nutritivă. II. 1. (Ec. pol.) Consumul de factori de producție
necesar pentru obținerea de bunuri economice și servicii.
◊ Valoare de întrebuințare = capacitatea unui bun economic (materiale, servicii, informații) de
a satisface o anumită necesitate a omului sau a societății. Valoare de schimb = raport
cantitativ în care se schimbă două bunuri economice. 2. (Concr.) Marfă.
3. (Comerț, Fin.) Exprimare în bani a prețului unei mărfi sau al unei acțiuni, al unui cec etc.
◊ Valoare comercială (sau de piață) = prețul fixat pe piață la o anumită dată; curs. ♦ Înscris
(cec1, cambie, obligațiune etc.) reprezentând un drept în bani sau în bunuri de altă natură. ◊
Valoare mobiliară = înscris reprezentând un drept asupra unor bunuri mobiliare (marfă, bani
etc.).
Valoare imobiliară = înscris reprezentând un drept asupra unor bunuri imobiliare (clădiri,
pământ etc.). ♦ Rentabilitate, productivitate.
4. (Mat., Fiz.) Număr asociat unei mărimi fizice (după un anumit procedeu de măsurare),
permițând compararea mărimii acesteia cu altele de aceeași natură.
◊ Valoare absolută = valoarea unei expresii matematice când nu se ține seamă de semnul (+
sau -) pe care îl are. ♦ Rezultat al unui calcul, al unei operații matematice etc.
5. (Muz.) Durata absolută sau relativă a unei note sau a unei pauze.
6. Efect obținut în pictură prin alăturarea a două nuanțe diferite ale unui ton.
7. Sens, nuanță de sens a unui cuvânt. – Din fr. valeur, lat. valor, -oris.
 4.1. About Human Values

Values may refer to:

Price
Economic values Demand for the object
Use value

Output of a function
Matematics values Real values of a function
A certain instance of a variable
Any kind of data by a given data type, as:
a string, a digit, a single letter
Science values – truth, probity, etc.
Individual – human values – love, beauty, etc.
Ethics values, etc.
 4.1. About Human Values

Notes:

Philosophy (from Greek philo-sophia - love of wisdom) is the study

of general and fundamental problems concerning existence,
knowledge, values, etc.

Axiology (from Greek axio-logos – study of value) is the study of

quality of values.

Value theory - approaches to understand how, why, and to what

degree humans should do the valuation of the things (a person, idea,
object, or anything else).
 4.1. About Human Values

Classification criteria: Domains

of the values:
• economical values
• political values
Stability • scientific values
• philosophical values
• religion values
• long life values • sport values
• temporary values

Social impact Object nature

• common values •material values

(for a group of people) (civilization)
•spiritual values
• individual values (cultures)
 4.1. About Human Values
Characteristics of the values
• Historic character (could disappear/appear)
• Norm character (are rules)
• Polarity (noted with + , or with -)
• Hierarchy (smart, smarter, very smart etc.)

Historic character of values

Example: beauty – as express of symmetry and
harmony - has different representations
 4.1. About Human Values

• Historic character (could disappear/appear)

Characteristics of the values • Norm character (are rules)
• Polarity (with + , and -)
• Hierarchy (smart, smarter, very smart etc.)

Norm character of the values

http://www.sociologyguide.com/basic-concepts/Social-Norms.php

Social Norms are:

-The means through which specific behaviors of different
groups of people are expressed;
-The rules and regulations which governs the coexistence in a
group of people;
- The standards of behavior of a group.

Many of social norms are not written – many are learned, informally, in
interaction with other people and are passed from generation to
generation.
 4.1. About Human Values

Characteristics of the values • Historic character (could disappear/appear)

• Norm character (are rules)
• Polarity (with + , and -)
Norm character of the values • Hierarchy (smart, smarter, very smart etc.)

Sociologists’ definition of social norms:

•Social norms are rules (prescriptions) developed by a group of people that
specify how people must, should, may, should not, and must not behave
in various situations.
Must: all members of the group are required to wear clothing; to bury their dead.
Should: the prescriptions that people's clothes should be clean; the death should be
recognized with public funerals.
May (choice): the girls may select to wear dresses or jeans.. Funerals may be held
with or without flowers.
Should-not' and the 'must-not' behaviours:
• One should not belch in public, throw garbage on the street, pass when stop signs
are indicated, or tell lies.
• One must not kill another person or have sexual intercourse with one's sister or
brother.
 4.1. About Human Values
• Historic character (could disappear/appear)
Characteristics of the values • Norm character (are rules)
• Polarity (with + , and -)
• Hierarchy (smart, smarter, very smart etc.)
Polarity of the values
Constructive values (+) Destructive values (-)
Disinterest Counterproductivity
Productiveness Disorder Discrimination
Stability Overdevelopment Failure
Cooperation Undeveloped
Suitability Impertinence
Faith Unsuitability
Sufficiency Impulsiveness
Flexibility Alienation
Consistency Inappropriateness
Goodness Disagreeableness
Resolution Inconsistency
Love Inadvisability
Adaptability Insufficiency
Power Inconsiderateness
Appropriateness Insult
Quickness Unluckiness
Clarity Nonfulfilment
Readiness Unnaturalness
Clearness Oversimplification
Reliability Anxiety
Fidelity Smallness
Respect Misunderstanding
Glory Uncertified
Responsiveness Nonacceptance
Harmony Unproductivity
Loyalty Noncompliance Vileness (josnicie)
Nonuniformity
 4.1. About Human Values

Examples of human values and their polarity

virtuous – vicious
Ethics values good – bad
moral - immoral
true - wrong Athena -
Goddess of wisdom

beautiful – ugly
Aesthetic values balanced – unbalanced
pleasant – unpleasant

Aphrodite - Goddess of beauty

 4.1. About Human Values

Notes
- Human values are a set of rules which people follow to make the
right decisions in life.

- Human values are conscious or spontaneous outcomes of some

ideals or aspirations of humans during the process of the social
practice.

- Human values are goals, desires, intentions or ideals

transformed into realities.

Human values system – set of common values created by

humans which indicate to individuals what is good, beneficial,
important, useful, beautiful, desirable, appropriate...etc.
 4. 2. About Cultures

What is CULTURE ?

(1) = Ensemble of spiritual values and beliefs created by humanity

along its social- historical practice; The human activities which
concretize the spiritual values are: Sciences, Arts, Moral, Religion

(2) = Creation of humans in the field of spirituality

(3) = A synthesis between nature and society .

Human In knowing the nature and society

progress
is
expressed In becoming a human being
 4. 2. About Cultures
Cultures are built with a set of Fundamental Spiritual Values
– sociologist Dimitrie Gusti(1880-1955)
http://jurnalul.ro/editie-de-colectie/dimitrie-gusti/dimitrie-gusti-1880-1955-543908.html

•TRUTH - as gnoseologic value (Science - adevarul)

•GOODNESS - as moral value (Moral - bunatate)

•BEAUTY - as aesthetic value (Art - frumusete)

•FREEDOM - as philosophical value (Philosophy - libertate)

MAN Image of the HUMANITY:

Homo Labor & Homo Technicus Technologicus & Homo Economicus

&, Homo Militans
 4. 2. About Cultures

The culture includes:

- attitudes,
- acts, works to satisfy the spiritual and intellectual needs
- scientific works,
- philosophy, history, literature, music, architecture, sculpture
- languages,
- traditional customs, beliefs and religious practices,
- informal modalities as they evolved along the millenniums.

Dynamics of culture development includes the following steps:

• Gnoseologic step (The Knowledge)
• Axiological step (The Valuation)
• Creating step (The Creation)
• Communication (The Communication)

THE CULTURES are belief systems having specific values, which

become attitudes and define mentalities (Mircea Malita)
 4. 2. About Cultures

Types of cultures
- With the temporal-historical criterion, there are:
Antic, Medieval, Renaissance , Modern, Contemporary Cultures.
- With spatial-geographical criterion, there are:
Greek, Egyptian, Aztec etc. Cultures

Cultures are collective mentalities

- Mentalities dominates and influences the entire society;
- Mentalities are changing slowly and they are remodelled
by the religion.

In the history of mankind were identified four world religions

associated with the great cultures and civilisation

Religions: Christianity, Islamism, Hinduism, and Confucianism

Cultures & Civilisation: European, Islamic, Indian and Chinese

 4. 2. About Cultures

Different types of cultures

Example: American Values

Independence - Americans strongly believe in the concept of individualism. They
consider themselves to be individuals who control of their own lives, rather than to be
members of a family, a religious group, or other group.
Equality - The American Declaration of Independence states that “all [people] are
created equal,” and this belief is deeply embedded in their cultural values. Americans
believe that all people are of equal standing, and are therefore uncomfortable with
any lack of respect.
Directness - Americans tend to value frankness and openness in their dealings
with other people. They believe that conflicts and disagreements are best solved by
means of open discussion among the people involved. Americans believe that if
someone has a problem with someone else, they should tell it to the person clearly
and directly in order to come up with a solution to the problem.
 4. 3. About Civilisation

What is the CIVILIZATION?

(1)= Ensemble of modalities by which man can adapt to the

environment (physically and socially) succeeding in
organizing it,
transforming it and
integrating it.
(2) = Ensemble of material values and their dynamics . The human
activities which concretize these values are:
Politics,
Economics,
Techniques,
Technology.
 4.4. About Technique – Technology – Artefacts

= Man’s activity
Technique to produce useful goods which will contribute
to the surviving and improving
the conditions of the life

(1) = Scientific knowledge having as object Technique

(Techno-logos = science about the technique)
Technology
(2) = Modality (procedure) of using tools, energy and
materials to produce means for food and protection

(3) = Implementing the knowledge (through

Science and Research) to practical activities
of producing, managing and organizing.
 4.4. About Technique – Technology – Artefacts

= Physical/chemical/biological/technical
systems resulted from the man’s activity to transform
Artefacts and manipulate the nature, to satisfy the needs
and human goals.

Artefacts (artificial objects) are vestiges which contribute to understanding

of some aspects of Culture and Civilisation of social communities,
which create, produce, consume and use technical goods.

Steps in valuation of artefacts

• to be identified (selected, classified, described);

• to be registered (in monographs, in statistical data, in archives);
• to be restored (remade, modelled, with reference to many places etc.);
• to be disseminated (in museums, in free spaces, shown at exhibitions etc.).
 C4. Cultures And Civilization

References
•René Taton, s.a.: Istoria Generală a Ştiinţelor. Vol I-IV, Bucureşti,
Editura Enciclopedică, 1978-1984.
•Thomas Kuhn: Revoluţiile ştiinţifice. Editura Ştiinţifică şi
Enciclopedică, Bucureşti, 1983.
•Ştefan Bălan, St. Mihăilescu: Istoria Ştiinţei şi Tehnicii în România,
Bucureşti, 1985.
•John D. Bernal: Istoria socială a Ştiinţei, Editura Politică, Bucureşti,
1960.
•Angela Banciu: Cultură şi civilizaţie europeană. Repere de analiză
istorică şi înţelegerea evoluţiei lumii contemporane. Editura Printech,
Bucureşti, 1999, 186 pag.
•Mircea Maliţa: Zece mii de culturi, o singurǎ civilizaţie. Spre
geomodernitatea secolului XXI. Editura Nemira, Bucureşti, 2001, 367 pag.