What is Culture?

Defining culture

Cultural anthropology defines culture as the following:

A set of learned rules, standards, or manners shared within a human group that describes a range of behaviors and beliefs that are proper, acceptable, and valid. These rules serve to promote the survival of the group. These rules govern all aspects of behavior within the human group and in most instances provide for repercussions when the rules are violated. These rules also govern relationships to other human groups and the environment.

What does this mean? It means that everything a group of people does is governed by rules. These rules aren't necessarily written down (such as in a code of laws). They are, however, handed down from generation to generation through tradition. Examples of cultural rules are: what sort of foods to eat at each meal (and how many meals to have during the day), clothing styles, religious observances, who is a friend and who is an enemy, what is artistically pleasing, marriage and sexual customs, and myths, legends and histories.