The concepts of the organic view of culture and super organic views of culture in anthropology refer to different ways of understanding the nature and functioning of culture within human societies. These views have been proposed and elaborated upon by various anthropologists, offering distinct perspectives on how culture operates.
Organic View of Culture
Proposer: This view is often associated with early anthropological thinkers such as Edward Burnett Tylor and Lewis Henry Morgan, who emphasized the biological and evolutionary aspects of culture.
Description: The organic view of culture treats culture as an extension of human biology, emphasizing the ways in which cultural practices and artifacts arise from and are constrained by human physiological needs and biological evolution. This perspective often looks at culture as a means of adaptation to the environment, akin to biological adaptations in other species.
Examples:
- Subsistence Patterns: Hunter-gatherer societies developing tools and techniques for hunting and foraging that are directly related to their survival needs.
- Kinship Systems: The organization of family and social relationships to ensure the reproduction and survival of the group.
Superorganic View of Culture
Proposer: The superorganic view of culture is most notably associated with Alfred Kroeber, a prominent American anthropologist.
Description: Kroeber introduced the concept of the superorganic to emphasize that culture exists beyond the individual and cannot be reduced to biological or psychological factors. According to this view, culture operates on a higher level of complexity, with its own rules and dynamics that transcend individual human experiences. Culture is seen as an autonomous system that shapes and influences human behavior, rather than merely being a product of it.
Examples:
- Language: Language as a cultural system with its own rules and structures that shape communication and thought, independent of individual speakers.
- Art and Religion: Artistic and religious expressions that follow cultural traditions and norms, influencing individuals and groups regardless of their biological or psychological states.
Key Differences:
- Organic View: Emphasizes the biological and adaptive aspects of culture, linking cultural practices to human survival and evolution.
- Superorganic View: Emphasizes the autonomous, emergent properties of culture, seeing it as an independent system that shapes human behavior and social structures.
These perspectives provide different lenses through which anthropologists study and interpret the role and nature of culture in human societies. While the organic view roots culture in biological necessities and evolution, the superorganic view highlights the independent and overarching influence of cultural systems.