Define material and nonmaterial culture and provide examples of each

What will be an ideal response?


Material culture consists of the physical or tangible creations that

members of a society make, use, and share. Initially, items of material

culture begin as raw materials or resources such as ore, trees, and oil.

Through technology, these raw materials are transformed into usable items (ranging from

books and computers to guns and tanks). Sociologists define technology as the knowledge,

techniques, and tools that make it possible for people to transform resources into usable

forms, and the knowledge and skills required to use them after they are developed.

At the most basic level, material culture is important because it is our buffer against the

environment. Nonmaterial culture consists of the abstract or intangible human creations of

society that influence people's behavior. Language, beliefs, values, rules of behavior, family

patterns, and political systems are examples of nonmaterial culture. A central component of

nonmaterial culture is beliefsā€”the mental acceptance or conviction that certain things are

true or real. Beliefs may be based on tradition, faith, experience, scientific research, or some

combination of these.

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