Dr.. Muhammad Rabee
The majority of those concerned with social and historical studies tended to use the words “civilization” and “culture” within almost the same analytical frameworks, as if the two words meant the same thing, which made it difficult to understand the true meaning of each word, the difference between them, and the dialectical and complementary relationship that binds them. As a result, it has become difficult to identify the characteristics of successive civilizations and the features of different cultures, and to identify the relative achievements of each stage of civilizational development. The confusion also makes it impossible to identify the main factors that contribute to the development of human societies and enable some of them to achieve progress and possess more means of wealth and power, while the majority of other societies still suffer from the scourges of poverty, ignorance, need and dependence.
Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary defines civilization as “an advanced state of society characterized by advanced culture, science, industry, and government.” He also defines them elsewhere as “modern amenities and entertainment made possible by science and technology.” This means that civilization refers to the level of life that every people enjoys through what is available to them in terms of production tools, sciences, goods, culture, and means of comfort and luxury. As for culture, the dictionary defines it as “the outcome of ways of life developed by a human group and passed on from one generation to another.” Culture is formed through the residence of the concerned human group for a long period of time in one place, and the interaction of its members with each other within the framework of one society (Webster’s, 353). This means that culture refers to the way of life that distinguishes each society from other societies, and preserves its unity and identity.
It is clear from the first definition of civilization that the concept refers to a societal state that is characterized by “the sophistication of culture, science, industry, and the system of government,” which means that culture, like industry, is only one component of civilization, and therefore is not a substitute or equivalent to it. And since culture is one of the components of civilization, as is the case with industry, culture does not include industry or similar material and technological products, but is limited to components of ways of life that can be inherited from traditions, values, ways of thinking, attitudes, religious beliefs, ideas, arts, and similar products. immaterial.
As for the concept of culture, it refers to the way of life followed in society, and the foundations of social bonds that bind its members and groups to each other. That is why culture, including the traditions, customs, values and beliefs it includes, is the social glue that unites the members of a single society and gives them a general sense of the unity of history and destiny, which makes culture the most important social production for every people, the moral bond that maintains its cohesion, and the framework that creates a sense of homogeneity among its members. and integration. This makes culture the most important force involved in shaping the personalities of individuals and peoples, their ways of thinking and collective identities, and determining their attitudes towards self and other people.
The late Arab thinker Dr. Constantine Zureik says: “Culture is the sum of the creative achievements of the human spirit in society.” Sociologist Thomas Sowell says, “Culture includes attitudes, skills, language, and habits.” It is clear from these two definitions that Zurayk and Swail focus on the non-material aspects of society’s life in defining the components of culture. Since civilization includes culture, and culture is just one of the elements of civilization, it has become wrong to use either of the two concepts to denote the components of the other. Without understanding the components of each concept separately, and realizing the differences between them and the nature of the organic relationship that binds them to the other, it will be difficult to understand societal crises and analyze their causes, to determine the directions of the civilizational march through the ages, and to know the reasons for the mutual misunderstanding that occurs between different nations and peoples.
Dr.. Muhammad Rabee
The majority of those concerned with social and historical studies tended to use the words “civilization” and “culture” within almost the same analytical frameworks, as if the two words meant the same thing, which made it difficult to understand the true meaning of each word, the difference between them, and the dialectical and complementary relationship that binds them. As a result, it has become difficult to identify the characteristics of successive civilizations and the features of different cultures, and to identify the relative achievements of each stage of civilizational development. The confusion also makes it impossible to identify the main factors that contribute to the development of human societies and enable some of them to achieve progress and possess more means of wealth and power, while the majority of other societies still suffer from the scourges of poverty, ignorance, need and dependence.
Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary defines civilization as “an advanced state of society characterized by advanced culture, science, industry, and government.” He also defines them elsewhere as “modern amenities and entertainment made possible by science and technology.” This means that civilization refers to the level of life that every people enjoys through what is available to them in terms of production tools, sciences, goods, culture, and means of comfort and luxury. As for culture, the dictionary defines it as “the outcome of ways of life developed by a human group and passed on from one generation to another.” Culture is formed through the residence of the concerned human group for a long period of time in one place, and the interaction of its members with each other within the framework of one society (Webster’s, 353). This means that culture refers to the way of life that distinguishes each society from other societies, and preserves its unity and identity.
It is clear from the first definition of civilization that the concept refers to a societal state that is characterized by “the sophistication of culture, science, industry, and the system of government,” which means that culture, like industry, is only one component of civilization, and therefore is not a substitute or equivalent to it. And since culture is one of the components of civilization, as is the case with industry, culture does not include industry or similar material and technological products, but is limited to components of ways of life that can be inherited from traditions, values, ways of thinking, attitudes, religious beliefs, ideas, arts, and similar products. immaterial.
As for the concept of culture, it refers to the way of life followed in society, and the foundations of social bonds that bind its members and groups to each other. That is why culture, including the traditions, customs, values and beliefs it includes, is the social glue that unites the members of a single society and gives them a general sense of the unity of history and destiny, which makes culture the most important social production for every people, the moral bond that maintains its cohesion, and the framework that creates a sense of homogeneity among its members. and integration. This makes culture the most important force involved in shaping the personalities of individuals and peoples, their ways of thinking and collective identities, and determining their attitudes towards self and other people.
The late Arab thinker Dr. Constantine Zureik says: “Culture is the sum of the creative achievements of the human spirit in society.” Sociologist Thomas Sowell says, “Culture includes attitudes, skills, language, and habits.” It is clear from these two definitions that Zurayk and Swail focus on the non-material aspects of society’s life in defining the components of culture. Since civilization includes culture, and culture is just one of the elements of civilization, it has become wrong to use either of the two concepts to denote the components of the other. Without understanding the components of each concept separately, and realizing the differences between them and the nature of the organic relationship that binds them to the other, it will be difficult to understand societal crises and analyze their causes, to determine the directions of the civilizational march through the ages, and to know the reasons for the mutual misunderstanding that occurs between different nations and peoples.
