Are we born with culture?

I personally think that our basic perception towards the society develops right from our childhood when we are exposed to culture for the first time. As we grow up, our understanding of our environment is more and more influenced by the values and norms we follow. The more time we spend in a particular culture, we are more likely to develop the behavior which is considered as "normal" in that culture. For example, a person who is raised in a vegetarian family is most likely to remain vegetarian throughout his/her life regardless of the changes he might face in his life. However, behavior is also a matter of free-will. No one can be forced to change his natural drives. So, we can say that culture has influences on behavior but it is not shaped only by it.

Analyzing the facts present in the assigned reading coupled with my personal views, I think that culture is not something humans are both with. From the definition of culture itself “Culture is the shared values, norms, symbols, language, objects, and way of life that is passed on from one generation to the next.” (Hammond R.J., 2010), we know that it has no direct relation with the biological factors. Although it is something inherited from our preceding generation, it is nothing like the DNA which is naturally present since birth. A child has to spend a lot of years before finally knowing his/her culture, and develop an understanding of social norms and values.

If we consider a naturally biological process like Human Height Growth, some of us might be surprised that it has only 0.57 correlations with the average height of our parents. There are many socio-economic and environmental factors that make up the remaining 0.43 (Wikipedia, 2013). So, generalizing that culture is present since our birth would be a huge fallacy.

Similarly, the best example in this case would be the adopted children. Without any doubt, the genetics will determine most of their natural abilities and behavior, but they will learn the culture in which they are nurtured. It is possible that the twins grown up in different cultures will have different social beliefs even though they are biologically similar to the closest possible extent. Therefore, it is the society that determines our culture; no one is inherited with social heritage.  

References:

Hammond, R.J. (2010), Culture, Introduction to Sociology (Smashwords Edition) (pp. 43)

Wikipedia (2013), Determinants of growth and height, Human height, Accessed: February 13, 2013, Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_height     

 © Dixit Bhatta 2013