Culture
Many different people have interpreted culture, which has an impact directly on every living human in the world today, and no one has been able to obtain a final, absolute answer. Two of the premier theorists in the field of psychology, Karl Marx and Matthew Arnold, have attempted in this endeavor and have had diverse opinions on this topic. Although both men defined "culture" in different ways, a blend or a "middle route" of the two enables us as readers to grasp a greater knowledge of the meaning of culture. The essay "Sweetness and Light", written by Matthew Arnold, blindly overemphasized the significance of the pursuit of perfection and downright disregarded the reality of our material being. Having seemingly lived in a closet his entire life, Arnold talked about an ideal world that I believe would work except for the fact that we are human beings, and we tend to make mistakes (Arnold 98-113). The human race is greedy, coveting to acquire more and more material objects to our already huge collection. Although I wish this method would work in today's contemporary times, the notion of culture as "sweetness and light" will never be able to properly function in this material-oriented world.
Religion is a basic foundation of culture, one that people abide by everyday throughout their lives. Opposite to Arnold's thinking, Marx believed that culture, thought of as "sweetness and light", could be a derivative of his material endeavors. Whereas Matthew Arnold argued that all people should be uniform with in the society, the German philosopher (Marx) would reply that there must be a division of people to satisfy the needs of society. Both viewpoints have their strong points and their weaknesses, and they both have come to help define an ambiguous word such as culture. Though many bloody wars and battles have been fought over money, the same can be said for religion as the Crusades was one of the greatest wars ever. A tendency that is seen in the modern world, which could be derived from both Marx's and Arnold's points of views, is the impact of financial being on culture. Marx revolutionized philosophical thinking when he proclaimed that the material welfare of a person was the base for his intellectual undertakings. Did he truly believe that the "intelligent, rightly-guided" aristocracy could guide the masses? The wealthy would probably be driven by their power and money, consequently ignoring the topics important to the oppressed poor. WORKS CITED1. In most countries, at one point of their history or another, have had time periods where their lives were wholly dependent on their religion. ly equal otherwise our world would not be able to be as advanced as we are today.
Common topics in this essay:
Matthew Arnold,
Arnold Marx,
Marx's Arnold's,
Karl Marx,
Marx Arnold,
,
Matthew Arnold's,
Pearson Publishing,
Opposite Arnold's,
Daryl Ogden,
sweetness light,
matthew arnold,
karl marx,
ogden et al,
atlanta pearson publishing,
ogden et,
daryl ogden,
et al,
studies daryl,
pearson publishing 2000,
cultural studies,
al atlanta pearson,
introduction cultural,
et al atlanta,
marx believed,
|
Acceptance Essays
