Society and Culture
What is a society?
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a shared, learned, symbolic system of values,
beliefs and attitudes that shapes and influences
perception and behavior -- an abstract "mental
blueprint" or "mental code."
A shared perception of reality
 Commonly known as

“Commonly known as”
 Common sense
 “They say”
 “Everybody knows”

Why bother with societies and
cultures?
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
Humans are weak
Societies are mutual support pacts
Let’s build a society
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An individual
Two people
More than two…
 Or twenty…
 Or twenty million
1st purpose of a society: reduce friction between
people in the society
2nd purpose: separate one society from others
Early Human Culture
Small groups of around 25
Gatherer/hunters
Nomadic
Limited possessions
more permanent settlements
Became tribes
xenophobia
End of the Ice Age
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About 12,000 BCE
The high grasslands began to dry out
Tribes migrated down into the river valleys
looking for food
Tigris/Euphrates
 Indus
 Yellow
 Nile
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The first great change
Domestication of animals
Irrigation
Canals
Fields
Granary
Pharaoh
Pyramid of Zoser
The Torah
Class and Clothing
Class and Clothing
Chinese Fingernail Shields
Jocks vs. Nerds
Weighing the Heart
Ramses II
Queen Hatshepsut
Nazis
Soviets
Sparta vs. Athens
Rome vs. everybody
War of the Roses
English Civil War
American Revolution
French Revolution
American Civil War
Inquisition
Women’s Suffrage
Civil Rights
Timothy McVeigh / John Allen
Muhammad / Aileen Wuornos
James von Brunn; Scott Roeder; Jim
David Adkisson
Anders Behring Breivik