What is an object of material culture? Material and spiritual cultures and their relationship

Culture is divided into material and spiritual. It is important here not to confuse it with objects, cultural items. St. Basil's Cathedral, Grand Theatre etc. - objects of culture, but here is their qualitative characteristics: who, when, where, with what, etc. -- culture. The violin is a musical instrument, an object of culture, and the Stradivarius violin is an object of culture of the 16th century. Performed on it musical composition- a subject of spiritual culture, but who, how, when, where, etc., i.e. its qualitative characteristic is culture. At the same time, spiritual culture is inextricably linked with material culture. Any objects or phenomena material culture They have a project at their core, embody certain knowledge and become values, satisfying human needs. In other words, material culture is always the embodiment of a certain part of spiritual culture. But spiritual culture can only exist if it is materialized, objectified, and has received one or another material embodiment. Any book, picture, musical composition, like other works of art that are part of spiritual culture, need a material carrier - paper, canvas, paints, musical instruments etc.

Moreover, it is often difficult to understand what type of culture - material or spiritual - a particular object or phenomenon belongs to. Thus, we will most likely classify any piece of furniture as material culture. But if we are talking about a 300-year-old chest of drawers exhibited in a museum, we should talk about it as an object of spiritual culture. A book, an indisputable object of spiritual culture, can be used to light a stove. But if cultural objects can change their purpose, then criteria must be introduced to distinguish between objects of material and spiritual culture. In this capacity, one can use an assessment of the meaning and purpose of an object: an object or phenomenon that satisfies the primary (biological) needs of a person belongs to material culture; if it satisfies secondary needs associated with the development of human abilities, it is considered an object of spiritual culture.

Between material and spiritual culture there are transitional forms - signs that represent something different from what they themselves are, although this content does not relate to spiritual culture. The most famous form of sign is money, as well as various coupons, tokens, receipts, etc., used by people to indicate payment for all kinds of services. Thus, money - the general market equivalent - can be spent on buying food or clothing (material culture) or purchasing a ticket to a theater or museum (spiritual culture). In other words, money acts as a universal intermediary between objects of material and spiritual culture in modern society. But there is a serious danger in this, since money equalizes these objects among themselves, depersonalizing objects of spiritual culture. At the same time, many people have the illusion that everything has its price, that everything can be bought. In this case, money divides people and degrades the spiritual side of life.

Material and spiritual culture are two types of culture that are opposite in their specific characteristics.

Material culture- the embodiment of materialized human needs, these are the material results of human labor (artifacts) - houses, household items, clothing. It realizes the desire of humanity to adapt to living conditions. Material culture includes: technical structures (tools, weapons, buildings, household equipment, clothing), technologies; physical aspects of human development (physical education and sports; healthy lifestyle culture); various institutions.

Spiritual culture- those phenomena that are associated with the inner world of a person, with his intellectual and emotional activity. As a rule, it includes ideology, science, morality, art and religion, which, in turn, include: norms, rules, samples, standards, models and norms of behavior, laws, values, rituals, symbols, ideas, customs, traditions , language, myths, etc.

In general, spiritual culture acts as an activity aimed at spiritual development person and society.

Mass and elite culture

Mass culture- this is culture Everyday life, presented to the widest audience. The mass is a specific form of community of people, which is characterized by aggressiveness, primitiveness of aspirations, reduced intelligence and increased emotionality, spontaneity, readiness to obey a strong-willed shout, changeability, etc.

Mass culture – (pop culture) is characterized by bad taste, cliché, is simplified, entertaining in nature and is very fashionable. It originated in the USA at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries; the founders are considered to be Hollywood businessmen. Mass culture is commercial in nature and aimed at the general public.

Specific features: 1) mass culture belongs to the majority;

it is the culture of everyday life;

2) mass culture is not the culture of the social “lower classes”; it exists in addition to and “above” social formations;

4) standard and stereotypical;

5) unable to quickly and adequately respond to changes in culture;

6) is more often of a consumer nature, forms in a person a special type of passive, uncritical perception of this culture; Spheres of manifestation:

The media, the system of state ideology (manipulating consciousness), mass political movements, secondary schools, the system of organizing and stimulating mass consumer demand, the system of image formation, leisure, etc. Elite culture

- highest culture. It is created by a privileged part of society or at its request by professional creators. It includes fine art, classical music and classical literature. As a rule, elite culture is ahead of the level of perception of it by a moderately educated person. The motto of elite culture is “Art for art’s sake.”

Specific features:

1) is of a marked nature; consciously opposes the majority culture; 2) distinguishes high level

innovations;

6) is more often of a consumer nature, forms in a person a special type of passive, uncritical perception of this culture; 3) the cultural elite does not coincide with the authorities and often opposes them.

art, religion, science. Generally, elite culture

acts as an initiative and productive principle in any culture, performing a predominantly creative function in it. Folk culture is a culture addressed wide circles

society and includes a wide variety of elements: myths, legends, fairy tales, songs, dances, ditties, etc. Folk culture: Folklore – describes the past. Popular – describes today. Folk art - songs, fairy tales, crafts. There is traditional medicine, folk pedagogy. Since society breaks up into many groups (national, demographic, social, professional, etc.), each of them gradually forms its own culture, i.e. system of values ​​and rules of behavior. Such small cultural worlds are called subcultures. They talk about a youth subculture, a subculture of older people, a professional subculture, a subculture of national minorities, urban, rural, etc. The subculture differs from the dominant one in language, outlook on life, and manners of behavior. Such differences can be very pronounced, however, the subculture is not opposed to the dominant culture.

Counterculture. A subculture that not only differs from the dominant culture, but opposes it, is in conflict with dominant values, is called a counterculture. The subculture of the criminal world is opposed to human culture, and the “hippie” youth movement, which became widespread in the 60-70s. in countries Western Europe and the United States, denied the dominant American values: social values, moral norms and moral ideals of a consumer society, profit, political loyalty, sexual restraint, conformity and rationalism.

Material culture - these are the achievements of the human mind in the development of productive forces and production relations of society . It is also a set of those values ​​that are aimed at satisfying consumer, material needs and interests of people. Mainly, the needs for food, clothing, housing, means of transportation, physical health, warmth, light, household items, etc. This is the process and result of human material activity. Material culture is the culture of work and material production, culture of life, culture of attitude towards own body and physical culture.

Analyzing the internal structure of material culture, within the framework of material activity, we should first of all highlight economic (economic) activity aimed at creating material conditions for human life as the creator of a “second nature”. It includes the means of production, methods of practical activity (production relations), as well as creative aspects of human everyday economic activity.

Features of material (technological) culture:

1) She is not concerned with the “value dimension” of activity. Its meanings are concentrated around WHAT and HOW to do, FOR WHY TO DO IT.

2) Values: efficiency, accuracy, strength, utilitarianism(utility);

3) Rationalism. Evolution from mysticism to rationality.

4) In relation to spiritual culture, it plays a subordinate role, service role. The goals of the development of science and technology are determined by the needs of the development of spiritual and social culture.

5) Performing a service role, it turns out to be an indispensable condition for any cultural activity. Professional excellence.

Spiritual culture is a set of norms and values ​​related to satisfying the intellectual needs of people and contributing to the formation of reasonable moral, psychological qualities and abilities. Spiritual culture is the process and results of spiritual production (religion, philosophy, morality, art, science, etc.). This area of ​​culture is very extensive. She is presented richest world science and art, morality and law, politics and religion. Of course, all the values ​​of spiritual culture are recorded, preserved, passed on from generation to generation only in material sphere, indirectly: language, ideology, values, customs, etc. The elements included in spiritual culture cannot be touched with our hands, but they exist in our consciousness and are constantly maintained in the process of interaction. Spiritual culture is represented and functions in a much richer, more extensive world of objects and norms of relationships than material culture.

So, spiritual culture acts as an activity aimed at the spiritual development of man and society, at the creation of ideas, knowledge, spiritual values ​​- images of public consciousness. The subject forms of spiritual culture are the results of spiritual activity and relationships between people, the development and realization of human abilities.

The main forms of spiritual culture: myth, religion, morality, art, philosophy, science. Spiritual culture captures the creative side, innovation, achievements, the productive, not the reproductive side.

Features of spiritual culture:

1) N utilitarianism. She is essentially selfless. Its cornerstones are not benefit, not profit, but “joys of the spirit” - beauty, knowledge, wisdom. People need it for its own sake.

2) Greatest With freedom of creativity. The human mind, not connected with utilitarian considerations and practical necessity, is capable of breaking away from reality and flying away from it on the wings of fantasy.

3) creative activity becomes a special spiritual world created by the power of human thought. This world is incomparably richer than the real world.

4) Sensitivity. Most responsive to environmental changes. She is able to detect the slightest changes in people’s lives and respond to them with changes in herself. The most fragile area of ​​culture, the one that suffers the most during social cataclysms, needs the support of society.

But it is impossible to differentiate and contrast the material and spiritual with each other as 2 special areas of culture. They are like different sides one coin. For, on the one hand, the whole culture as a whole is spiritual, because it is the world of meanings, i.e. spiritual entities. On the other hand, it is entirely material, because... presented in sensory-perceptible codes, signs, texts. Therefore, by material culture it makes sense to understand not some special area of ​​culture, different from spiritual culture, but the “sign shell” of any culture. Any work of art is a material phenomenon, since it is always embodied in something. But at the same time, any work of art is an expression of certain meanings that reflect the values ​​and ideology of society and era. This division makes it possible to make sure that any cultural phenomenon is the objectified result of ideal, spiritual content human activity. Thus, architectural buildings are both works of art and serve practical purposes.

Human activity is carried out in socio-historical forms of material and spiritual production. Accordingly, material and spiritual production appear as two main spheres of cultural development. Based on this, all culture is naturally divided into material and spiritual.

Differences in material and spiritual culture are historically determined by the specific conditions of the division of labor. They are relative: firstly, material and spiritual culture are components an integral cultural system; secondly, there is an increasing integration of them.

Thus, in the course of the STR (scientific and technological revolution), the role and importance of material side spiritual culture (development of media technology - radio, television, computer systems, etc.), and on the other hand, in material culture the role of its spiritual side is increasing (continuous “learning” of production, the gradual transformation of science into the direct productive force of society, increasing role of industrial aesthetics, etc.); finally, at the “junction” of material and spiritual culture, phenomena arise that cannot be attributed only to material or only to spiritual culture in its “pure form” (for example, design - artistic construction and artistic design creativity that contributes to the aesthetic formation environment person).

But despite the relativity of the differences between material and spiritual culture, these differences exist, which allows us to consider each of these types of culture as a relatively independent system. The watershed foundation of these systems is valuable. In the very general definition value is everything that has one meaning or another for a person (meaningful for him), and therefore, is, as it were, “humanized.” On the other hand, it contributes to the “cultivation” (cultivation) of the person himself.

Values ​​are divided into natural (everything that exists in the natural environment and is important for humans - these are mineral raw materials and gems, And fresh air, And pure water, forest, etc. etc.) and cultural (this is everything that a person has created, which is the result of his activity). In turn, cultural values ​​are divided into material and spiritual, which ultimately determine material and spiritual culture.

Material culture includes the entirety of cultural values, as well as the process of their creation, distribution and consumption, which are designed to satisfy the so-called material needs of man. Material needs, or rather their satisfaction, ensure people’s livelihoods, create the necessary conditions for their existence is the need for food, clothing, housing, means of transportation, communication, etc. And in order to satisfy them, people (society) produce food, sew clothes, build houses and other structures, make cars, planes, ships, computers, televisions, telephones, etc. and so on. And all this as material values ​​is the sphere of material culture.

It should be noted that material culture is understood not so much as the creation of the objective world of people, but rather the activity of shaping the “conditions of human existence.” The essence of material culture is the embodiment of various human needs, allowing people to adapt to biological and social conditions of life.

This sphere of culture is not decisive for a person, i.e. the end in itself of its existence and development. After all, a person does not live in order to eat, but he eats in order to live, and human life is not a simple metabolism like that of some amoeba. A person's life is his spiritual existence. Since the generic sign of a person, i.e. what is inherent only to him and what distinguishes him from other living beings is the mind (consciousness) or otherwise, as they say, the spiritual world, then from here spiritual culture becomes the determining sphere of culture.

Spiritual culture is a set of spiritual values, as well as the process of their creation, distribution and consumption. Spiritual values ​​are designed to satisfy the spiritual needs of a person, i.e. everything that contributes to its development spiritual world(the world of his consciousness). And if material values, with rare exceptions, are fleeting - houses, machines, mechanisms, clothing, vehicles, etc., etc., then spiritual values ​​can be eternal as long as humanity exists.

Let's say, the philosophical judgments of the ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle are almost two and a half thousand years old, but they are still the same reality as at the time of their expression - just take their works from the library or get information via the Internet.

The concept of spiritual culture:

Contains all areas of spiritual production (art, philosophy, science, etc.),

Shows the socio-political processes occurring in society ( we're talking about about power structures of management, legal and moral standards, leadership styles, etc.).

The ancient Greeks formed the classic triad of the spiritual culture of mankind: truth - goodness - beauty. Accordingly, three most important value absolutes of human spirituality were identified:

Theoreticism, with an orientation towards truth and the creation of a special essential being, opposite to the ordinary phenomena of life;

This subordinates all other human aspirations to the moral content of life;

Aestheticism that achieves the maximum fullness of life based on emotional and sensory experience.

Thus, spiritual culture is a system of knowledge and ideological ideas inherent in a specific cultural and historical unity or humanity as a whole.

The concept of “spiritual culture” goes back to the historical and philosophical ideas of Wilhelm von Humboldt. According to the theory of historical knowledge he developed, The World History is the result of the activity of a spiritual force lying beyond the limits of knowledge, which manifests itself through Creative skills and personal efforts of individuals. The fruits of this co-creation constitute the spiritual culture of humanity.

Spiritual culture arises due to the fact that a person does not limit himself only to sensory-external experience and does not assign primary importance to it, but recognizes the spiritual experience from which he lives, loves, believes and evaluates all things as the main and guiding one. With this inner spiritual experience, a person determines the meaning and highest goal external, sensory experience.

A person can realize his or her dreams in different ways. creativity and its completeness creative self-expression achieved through the creation and use of various cultural forms. Each of these forms has its own “specialized” semantic and symbolic system. Let us briefly characterize the truly universal forms of spiritual culture, of which there are six, and in each of which the essence of human existence is expressed in its own way)