What is a cultured person in modern society? Essays on Russian language and literature

When is the definition given? cultured person”, then, first of all, they mean the following: does a person comply with the rules and generally accepted models of norms of behavior in society - a kind of philistine code of honor. In principle, this is where the “responsibilities” of a “cultured person” for society end.

It is important for society that human behavior is determined by the framework of decency and the law. Society, in principle, is ready to agree that alone with himself or with his family a person can be whatever he wants, but when he leaves the door of his home, a cultured person should have a switch to turn on norms and self-control.

That is, in the philistine consciousness, the concept of a cultured person is a well-mannered person who observes rituals and etiquette: “in front of strangers,” “in public,” “in society.” If a person who masters all forms of etiquette also has a higher education, then, as a rule, such a person rises in social status from the level of a simply cultured person to the level of an “intelligent person.”

The behavior of a person “behind the door” is taken into account in in this case not acceptable. “Behind the door” you can belch and pick your nose, yell and bully your household, or anonymously troll evil on the Internet, even if not for money, but only at the call of a “rushing soul.” But if such an individual gives up his seat to an old lady in public transport or holds the elevator door for a neighbor, that’s it – he is guaranteed the status of a cultured person.

Even at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the word “culture” referred more to agricultural science than to extrapolate to man. The word itself appeared in the Age of Enlightenment - at the end of the 18th century, but it took root gradually and for quite a long time. In Europe and Russia of the 19th century they said - a civilized person, meaning approximately what is now included in the concept of a cultured person. Back in the early 30s of the last century Dictionary Ushakova interpreted the concept of “cultured person” as a “cultivated” person. Only in connection with global urbanization, when a separate “ urban culture“In contrast to nature, the concepts of civilized and cultural began to blur. By the way, “cultural” epithets began to be added, forming phrases: cultural revolution, cultural level, cultural connections, cultural person, i.e. a pointer to certain achievements, the development of progress and personality.

Currently, linguistics interprets the word “culture” as “the volume of genetically non-inherited information transmitted in society from generation to generation.” Sociology is also ready to offer its own interpretation of the concept: “culture is a set of traditions, customs, social norms, rules governing the behavior of those who live now, and transmitted to those who will live tomorrow.”

From a philosophical point of view, according to Spengler and Toynbee, culture is only a part that makes up civilization. A cultured person is a person capable of assimilating a large number of information, analyze it, interpret it, build cause-and-effect relationships. Philosophers, of course, did not deny the role of education and self-control in the formation of a truly cultured person.

Thus, a cultured person is a person who complies with the basic norms of behavior of a civilized society, but relates himself and society only in that proportion that allows him to remain a person and individuality, and not a “cog in the system”, a “majority”, part of a “single fist” and “one people”.

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What is culture? There is no universal answer to this seemingly simple question. There are many definitions of this word, interpretations of this concept. So what is culture? We often say about someone: “What a cultured person.” By this characteristic we most often mean a polite, courteous person who knows the words “thank you” and “please”, gives way and way, opens doors, lets people forward, and is interested in well-being and health. Then it turns out that by culture we mean good manners? Yes. But not only that, because sometimes we use the word “cultured” as a synonym for the word “educated”. A very cultured person is a person who reads a lot, quotes Goethe or, well, in the know latest news arts and sciences.
From the above it follows that a cultured person is educated person with good manners. But will we call someone cultured who, despite all his education and good manners, is selfish? Someone who thinks only about himself, trying to look good in the eyes of others, but completely not caring about anyone else's problems besides his own? No. Consequently, culture also implies respect for others and concern for the comfort of others.
Thus, the concept of “culture” includes many components: good manners, education, respect for others. In addition, the features of a cultured person are his ability to correctly express his thoughts, the beauty of his speech, knowledge of etiquette, tact, rich spiritual world. That is, a cultured person can be characterized by the words of Doctor Astrov from Chekhov’s play “Uncle Vanya”:
“Everything in a person should be beautiful: his face, his clothes, his soul, and his thoughts.”
Society puts forward quite a lot of demands on a cultured person. It would seem that it is extremely difficult to live up to this status. But how nice it is to realize that you are known as a cultured person, that they admire your behavior, manners, and your way of life and hold you up as an example! Being a cultured person is quite fashionable today, so many try to imitate their culture with neat, neat clothes, strict hairstyles, and glasses that are popular today, which are supposed to give the wearer an intelligent look. But in reality, it is impossible to pass yourself off as a cultured person without being one: manners, speech, and level of knowledge in various fields let you down. You shouldn’t pretend to be a cultured person, it’s better to try to become one! It's possible!
Do I consider myself a cultured person? This question is quite sensitive and difficult to answer even for yourself. Most likely, I will not undertake to call myself fully cultured. This would put a lot of responsibility on me. But I strive for this proud title, I try to become better. With small steps I am bringing myself closer to this status: I read books recognized classical literature, I try to stay informed latest events world of culture and art, I try to be more tactful and polite with people, to be kinder to them, I try to structure my speech competently. I want to become a cultured person to the fullest extent of the meaning of this word.
The problem of correct speech is especially acute today. How many problems the modern Russian language has! If previously one of the main problems was the dominance of foreign words, today it is the use of profanity, which is present in the speech of even children. What can we say about the inability to correctly construct a sentence, express one’s thoughts, use speech patterns and appropriate artistic media to enhance the expression of your own speech. Today I cannot call my speech cultural. For the same reasons that I do not dare to call myself a generally cultured person. But I believe that my age allows for some shortcomings in this direction. But I’m learning, striving, trying!
I consider the speech of Channel One presenter Ekaterina Andreeva to be the standard of cultural speech. It just so happened that even as a child I fell in love with listening to her, not yet quite understanding the meaning of the news she was telling. And today I am convinced that Ekaterina Andreeva’s speech can serve as an example of cultural speech, which can be guided by in the quest to speak correctly.
Culture is an integral part of modern society, and to be a full member of it, you need to be a cultured person. No matter how unattainable it may seem to some of us, absolutely everyone is capable of cultivating culture within themselves.

Before figuring out who a cultural person is, it is important to give a clear definition of “culture.” This concept difficult to interpret, since it is very multifaceted and manifests itself in completely different guises. In accordance with different approaches, culture must be considered:

IN in a general sense. As a set of characteristics inherent in a certain community.
In a more specific sense. As a system-forming element of social reality.

It would not be superfluous to consider each of them separately.

About the first approach

It involves viewing culture as a combination of all results historical development human communities. IN in this context it includes:

Features of the mental mindset.
Spiritual heritage, including traditions, customs, religious and ritual practices, holidays, everyday life, folklore and art.
A system of values developed and established throughout history.

IN in a broad sense language and religion are also perceived as integral elements of culture.

About the second approach

He considers this phenomenon as the main socially formative factor and focuses on such individual indicators as:

Spiritual organization.
Full diversified development.
Tendency to epistemological (cognitive) activity.
Moral education and moral guidelines.
Tendency to interact with other members of society, aesthetic principle.

Culture, as a socially formative factor, is an indicator of the development of the indicated indicators in a particular individual and in groups of people forming society. IN social psychology, the higher it is, the more developed the given indicators are. In each individual society, the parameters of culture are different. From which a completely logical conclusion follows. And it goes like this: cultures are heterogeneous, diverse and unique.

The role of culture in social life

Society, or society, is one of the forms of communities. This needs to be remembered. Each society, in turn, regardless of its size and composition, has distinctive features that ensure its uniqueness. Speaking about the role of culture in social life, it is advisable to resort to systems theory.

Everything is simple here. Social life- it's a kind of system. And culture in this case acts as a system-forming element. Along with the economic formation, political system, the form of structure of the state in which society lives.

The fundamental postulate of the theory under consideration is the following statement: “A change or removal of one of the elements of the system inevitably entails a change in the entire structure as a whole and ultimately leads to its collapse.”

But the role of culture in the life of society is vital. And even the theoretical consideration of the exclusion of culture from public life is not just meaningless. It is simply logically impossible.

Levels of manifestation of culture

As already mentioned, the difficulty of understanding and perceiving the concept being studied is directly related to the pluralism of the forms of its manifestation.

The highest level of differentiation of cultures is civilizational affiliation. For example, it manifests itself in the difference between African and African cultures. European peoples. The brightest dividing line The thing that separates cultures from each other today is nationality.

Given their diversity, this demonstrates the contrast like nothing else different cultures. There are other, smaller levels of culture that can exist both within one nationality and beyond. By marrying them, they unite people based on common interests, life views and beliefs, ideology, etc.

Such manifestations of culture can be based on completely different foundations. And most often they are called subcultures. Everyone knows the examples - neo-Nazis, hip-hop community, cosplayers, gamers.

Material and spiritual hypostases

When considering the concept of a cultured person, they are also worth noting. There is both a material and spiritual hypostasis here. And in completely different aspects of life.

Material culture is embodied in paintings, architectural monuments, in works of cinema, music and poetry, recognized as classics and included in the historical and national heritage.

Material culture manifests itself even in specific brands, drinks, names musical groups. The last three cases are examples of the manifestation of popular culture - like the American Coca-Cola, Metallica, McDonald's at the turn of the nineties and two thousand. Or Apple, Microsoft, Starbucks in our time. It is also manifested in national clothes, hairstyles, cuisine, etc. These are no longer just components of a cultured person, but a manifestation of the identity of the society to which he belongs.

What about intangible manifestations of culture? They most often find themselves as features used by sociologists and philosophers when describing the psychosociological characteristics of different societies. This will be discussed in more detail later.

Who is a cultured person?

This concept can now be examined in detail. IN modern understanding he embodies a person who permanently strives to satisfy the balance of needs, including the desire for spiritual, mental, moral and aesthetic self-improvement.

In the intention to harmonize and in equally To develop these 4 elements, a person grows culturally. Spiritual self-improvement presupposes the priority of interests in creativity, art and other products of the cognitive-constructive activity of the individual over material values. This desire is key quality cultured person.

What about mental development? It implies the desire to increase and expand knowledge. Moral self-improvement is the cultivation of the main benefactors. Such as honesty, fidelity, justice, modesty.

Aesthetic self-improvement - love and awareness of the value of beauty. Implies a penchant for beauty, or a craving for beauty. This refers not only to a weakness for what is beautiful from the outside, but also to a commitment to individual ennoblement. All these are qualities of a cultured person.

Signs of a cultural personality

Same interesting topic, and it is worth mentioning. In fact, at the first meeting with a particular person, it is impossible to accurately determine that he is a cultured person. After all, spiritual, mental and moral wealth are not always able to clearly manifest themselves during the first communication. At the same time, there are a number of distinctive qualities and characteristics that a cultured person certainly possesses.

This is, first of all, the presence of a correct upbringing that meets the norms of the society in which he lives. And also adherence to the rules of etiquette in interaction with other people, moderate behavior and a negative attitude towards pretentiousness and shockingness.

A mandatory “attribute” of a cultured person is taking into account and respecting the comfort of others. And also the tendency not to react to obvious provocations, the ability to defend one’s own dignity without resorting to baseness and without losing self-control.

Physical, visually noticeable signs of a cultured person can also include wardrobe features. Such a person, as a rule, avoids colorful and obscene clothing. Because this can create an image of a frivolous, immature individual.

In some cases, asceticism in everyday life and image can be a quality of a cultured person. It should not be confused with bad taste, low quality and disregard for one’s own appearance. A cultured person skillfully projects personal inner virtues on his external image.

Social culture

Let's talk about this one last time. Previously, it was stated what culture and a cultured person are, the qualities and characteristics that define him were described. But! Adding the concept of sociality to the formula “cultured person” implies the inclusion of an individual with pronounced spiritual, mental, moral and aesthetic characteristics into a system of interpersonal relationships within an organized community.

This is if you delve deeper into the study of the concept. In other words, a socio-cultural person is one who is able to apply his developed qualities in the process of interaction with other members of society, thereby contributing to forward movement in the process of social development.

The concept of “cultured person” has many meanings; it is used in the broad and narrow sense of the word. In a broad sense cultural called a person who is spiritually rich, diversified, intellectually developed, morally and aesthetically educated, i.e. intelligent, possessing, first of all, internal culture.

Let's characterize traits of a cultured person.

Spiritual wealth - presence in a person wide range spiritual needs and interests and rich inner world. A cultured person gives priority to spiritual rather than material values.

Versatile education - a person is competent not only in his specialty, but also in many other areas.

Intellectual development – the degree and depth of development of the mind and intellect.

Moral education - possession moral culture, knowledge and observance of moral norms and principles.

Aesthetic education – formation of a sense of beauty and aesthetic taste.

In a narrow sense cultural they simply call a polite, well-mannered person, i.e. possessing an external culture, or a culture of behavior. External culture consists of observing the norms and rules of etiquette. External culture includes: a person’s manners, speech, form and style of clothing, ability to behave, etc. The most important features of a person’s external culture are:

politeness,

good manners,

tact.

Let's characterize them. A cultured person is first of all polite. Polite refers to behavior that corresponds to the rules of decency and manners accepted in a given society. The main thing in politeness is attention and respect for people, respect for human dignity. When communicating with people you must adhere to golden rule of morality , formulated by I. Christ: Treat people the way you would like them to treat you.

About the meaning of politeness. Discuss the words of the writer Cervantes: “Nothing is given to us so cheaply, and nothing is valued so dearly by people as politeness.”

Good manners - this is politeness that has turned into a habit, which has become second nature to a person. A well-mannered person automatically, without thinking, does what a polite person knows about, but does not always do, for example, say hello when meeting, let an older person go ahead, give way to him, take off his hat indoors, etc. Good manners is a higher level of human culture compared to politeness.

Tact - this is a sense of proportion in human relationships, moral intuition, which tells a person the most correct, careful, delicate line of behavior in relation to others. The rules of conduct for a tactful person usually begin with the particle “don’t”: “don’t get into my soul”, “don’t touch on a sore point for a person”, “don’t aggravate”, etc. (“don’t rub salt in my wound”). Discuss the words of A.P. Chekhov: “Good education does not consist in not spilling sauce on the table, but in the fact that you do not notice if anyone around you does it.”

Internal and external culture do not always coincide with each other and complement each other. A person can have external culture, flawlessly master the rules of etiquette, and at the same time, in his inner essence, be dishonest and immoral. Those. behind external ostentatious politeness, he can mask his negative inner essence (his “rotten inside”). Ideal is a combination of internal and external culture, a combination of good manners and the ability to behave with inner beauty, moral perfection of a person. The formation of such a person is the goal of education. In other words, the ideal and goal of education is comprehensive, harmonious development of personality, in the unity of internal and external qualities, spiritual and physical. The unity of spiritual and physical development is an ideal formulated back in Ancient Greece. Spiritual development (education) includes: moral, aesthetic, political, legal education, etc. And accordingly, this is aimed at the formation and improvement of moral, intellectual, psychological, political, etc. culture.

The process of formation and development of human culture is a purposeful, long-term, gradual and difficult process. Here, a lot depends on the dedication, effort, perseverance, perseverance and patience of a person. Quote the saying: “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” “If you sow a good deed, you will reap a good habit, if you sow a good habit, you will reap good character, and if you sow a good character, you will reap a good disposition and custom.” Man creates himself. But also responsibility for How he became and what he became, he also carries.

The world does not stand still and develops. However, at any time there were certain limits and restrictions that a person simply had to comply with. That is why now I want to understand what it means to be a cultured and civilized person.

A little about terminology

As you know, you need to start understanding the issue by defining the basic terms. What is the difference, or is there still a commonality between the concepts of “civilized” and It should be noted that there are several versions.

The terms “civilization” and “culture” are considered as synonyms, inseparable concepts. In this context, civilization is determined by the level of development of society and its cultural traditions.
The terms “culture” and “civilization” are opposed to each other. He also liked to talk about this. Thus, according to his opinion, culture is something moral, something that is inherent in a person. And civilization requires from a person only external compliance with generally accepted human rules of coexistence in society.
O. Spengler’s opinion about So, he views culture as something cyclical is very interesting. And when cultural development society reaches its peak, that is, civilization, degradation and extinction occur. And the culture is changing.
N.A. Berdyaev argued that culture is something individual, special, inherent certain group of people. But civilization is a ubiquitous and most common phenomenon that can be repeated in many societies.

That is, we can conclude that these terms are precisely interrelated with each other, regardless of the theory that considers them.

About people

A similar situation arises when one needs to understand what it means to be a cultured and civilized person. Again, since there is no consensus on these terms, it is very difficult to decide on the designation of a cultured or civilized person. Here a lot depends on the society into which the individual is integrated. That is, in one social group Some actions and statements may be normal, while in others they are completely unacceptable. This, by the way, often occurs when comparing developed countries and African wild tribes.

Human culture

But still: what does it mean to be a cultured and civilized person in ordinary European society? This means adhering to the norms and rules that were previously adopted. By the way, some can go into oblivion, others can arise. For example, today no one says hello by raising their hat. But when you see someone you know, you need to take the headphones out of your ears to say hello.

It should also be noted that the concept of “human culture” is closely related to the term “educated person”. That is, the person must be spiritually rich. This well-read people who try to develop and learn, regardless of their place of work, social affiliation or availability higher education. A person may not have a university degree, but be spiritually rich.

Examples of cultured people

If you ask a group of people the question “what does it mean to be a cultured and civilized person?”, you can hear many of the most different opinions. For one, a cultured person is one who does not litter on the street. The other puts forward broader and deeper demands on the individual. But you can still try to highlight and consider examples of a cultured and civilized person.

They are the ones who treat even strangers with respect.
A cultured person should also be moderately erudite.
Constant learning and learning something new - distinguishing feature cultured person.
A cultured person adheres to the rules of cohabitation in society. That is, he does not litter on the streets and maintains order at home and in his hometown.

An uncultured person is someone who does not comply with these rules and is an antisocial person.