|
|
culture
Margaret Steiner (MSTEINER@UCS.INDIANA.EDU)
Thu, 10 Feb 1994 10:56:20 EST
Just some thoughts for the person asking about the etymology of culture. I,
too, remember that the word came from the German. As for relating "culture" to
"agriculture," one can think of cultivating human beings, just as one
cultivates the soil. That is, one is taught about notions of appropriateness
and ways of being that might not occur to someone growing up in the wild, as it
were. Human beings are trained out of "wild" behviors, using this metaphor,
just as plants or animals are also "tamed." Notice that I put all this in
quotes, but I can see the connection between possible original uses of the word
"culture" and "agriculture."
Marge
|