The 23 Provinces in the Country of China

Defining Culture A Challenging Task For Academics

Defining culture appears to be a challenging task for academics, this is why there are possibly more than 150 definitions of culture and it is difficult to actually find a universally accepted definition because the word holds different meanings to different people and as a consequence it is open to many interpretations. Even if academics find it hard to define, it is possible to see that different statements have some common patterns. Academics agree on the fact that culture is something that has to be learned and consequently shared; moreover, culture involves thinking, feeling and acting. Often culture goes way beyond what meets the eye; Edgar Schein stated that even if it is possible to observe and to get to know the artefacts that are†¦show more content†¦The word was also used with the meaning of taking care of something, honoring something. But behind the word cà ²lere there is actually an ancient linguistic root: KwEL, which means â€Å"to spin†, â€Å"to ro tate†. This root was used to generate words with a similar meaning in different Indo-European languages; for example the ancient greek ÃŽ ºÃ ÃŽ ºÃŽ »ÃŽ ¿Ãâ€š (kyklos), which means circle or even the English word wheel. The meaning of all these different words takes us back to the original meaning of the Latin verb to cultivate, but from this original meaning the use of the word has been extended to all the activities that require taking care or nurturing something. However, the present meaning comes from the past tense of the verb: cultus. This word, in fact, was not only used to indicate something that was cultivated but it was also used to indicate religious practices and practices that involved the nurturing of young people’s mind. The current meaning of culture so, comes from the word cultus and it indicates knowledge, traditions and everything else that a nation considers fundamental and worth sharing and passing to next generations. Just like people do, every organisation has its own personality; we refer to it as its culture. Even if it’s not visible, organisational culture is what shapes the behaviour of the people working in a company. Tichy (1982) said that organizational culture

Ideas of the Parthenon Essay Example For Students

Ideas of the Parthenon Essay The Greek people of the 5th century BC created a culture that was deeply rooted in philosophy and the arts. Their endless search for their place in the grand scheme of the universe and in nature around them influenced everything in their lives especially their love of the arts. Their drama, sculpture, and even architecture are all shining examples of the ideas that were so dominant in the minds of the Greek people. What could be considered the crown jewel of Greek architecture, the Parthenon, is one such of these examples. It brings into form the three principal ideas of humanism, rationalism, and idealism of the 5th century Greek people through not only its structure, but its ornamentation and sculpture as well. The basis of humanism can be summed up in the words of Protagoras, Man is the measure of all things. Humanism is the idea that human beings are the yardstick by with to measure all things in the universe, including Greek gods and goddesses. The Parthenon stands for this very idea through the fact that it is a human organization of space. It brings an understandable order into a chaotic space that would otherwise be incomprehensible to a human being. It allows a human to see the space and recognize it as something that is real. It also consists of repeated patterns and distance intervals throughout its structure that add to this order. The metopes, for example, are set in an alternating pattern with the triglyphs around the entire building at distinct intervals bringing a clear order to the entablature of the Parthenon. The columns that support the Parthenon are also placed in certain distance intervals from each other and coincide with the pattern formed by the metopes and triglyphs. These columns, however, are not in a perfect pattern of equal distances around the entire Parthenon. The columns on either side of the doorway to the Parthenon are placed a little farther apart than the rest to show a clear entrance to the building. Also the corner columns of the building are positioned slightly closer to their neighboring columns in order to compensate for the human eye. Without this compensation the columns would give the illusion of leaning outward and being farther apart than the rest of the columns because of the distortion of such a large structure to the human eye. The stylobate that the columns rest on is also built to allow for this optical illusion of the human eye. It has a gentle arch to it that prevent the human eye from believing the building to be concave or sagging toward the middle. This effect, known as entasis, can be seen throughout the Parthenon from the curve of the stylobate and entablature to the slight bulging of the columns that gives the impression of bearing the load of the structure. Another example of humanism in the Parthenon can be seen in it ornamentation and sculpture. The Parthenon is a temple to the goddess of wisdom, Athena, and has many references to her though its decorative art work. For example, the East pediment of the Parthenon depicts the birth of Athena from the head of Zeus. All of the figures in the pediment are in a human form, including the gods and goddesses and Athena herself. This is a way of bringing the gods down to a level that can be recognized and understood by humans who worship them. This is true of all the Greek statues of gods and goddesses such as the gold and ivory statue of the goddess Athena that stood in the Parthenon itself. Another idea of the 5th century Greek people that can be recognized in the Parthenon is that of rationalism. .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba , .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba .postImageUrl , .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba , .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba:hover , .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba:visited , .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba:active { border:0!important; } .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba:active , .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5a2f54f0b189a28d38c1ebabf6b06aba:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Thesis: Essay Rationalism is the idea of eternal principles or basic truths that are inherent in the universe and in the human mind. An example is that of Pythagoras right triangle theory that a+b=c, which cannot be total proven but yet has never been disproved either. This same theory can be seen in the Parthenon through its rectangular shape which, if cut in half diagonally, would be two right triangles. As it is plain to see, rationalism had