Communication Between Cultures

Worldview

The importance of worldview is clearly affirmed in the following definition advanced

by Bailey and Peoples:“World view is the way a people interpret reality and events,

including their images of themselves and how they relate to the world around them.”^79

This broad description of worldview makes it an“overarching philosophy”of how the

world works and how each person fits into that world. Issues such as what truth is and

how one discovers“the”truth are part of the domain of a person’s worldview. Although

every individual has a worldview, a more powerful worldview also pervades each culture

and becomes a collective concept of reality. Hoebel and Frost describe this notion of a

culture’s worldview as an“inside view of the way things are colored, shaped, and

arranged according to personal cultural preconceptions.”^80 Like culture itself, world-

views are automatic and unconscious. Hall reinforces this key point when he writes,

“Often, worldviews operate at an unconscious level, so that we are not even aware

that other ways of seeing the world are either possible or legitimate. Like the air we

breathe, worldviews are a vital part of who we are but not a part we usually think much

about.”^81

As you can see, worldview provides some of the unexamined underpinnings for

perception and the nature of reality as experienced by individuals who share a com-

mon culture. The worldview of a culture functions to make sense of life, which might

otherwise be perceived as disordered, accidental, and meaningless.

As is the case with all the elements discussed in this section, we will return to

worldview and reexamine the topic in great detail in Chapter 5.

Religion

Closely related to worldview is the element of religion, which for thousands of years

has been found in every culture. Religion, regardless of the form it takes, is used by

people to help them understand the universe, natural phenomena, what to die for,

and how to dwell among other people. The influence of religion can be seen in the

entire fabric of a culture, as it serves so many basic functions. These functions usually

include“social control, conflict resolution, reinforcement of group solidarity, explana-

tions of the unexplainable, and emotional support.”^82 In many ways, religion is like

culture itself, as it provides the followers of the faith with a set of values, beliefs,

and even guidelines for specific behaviors. These guidelines consciously and uncon-

sciously impact everything, ranging from business practices (the Puritan work ethic)

to politics (the link between Islam and government) to individual behavior (codes

of personal ethics). This multidimensional aspect of religion—and its relationship to

culture—means that to understand any culture, you must also understand how the

members of that culture provide explanations for how the world operates and how

they believe they fit into that process. We suggest that now, more than ever, under-

standing the role of religion in culture is imperative.

History

Over two thousand years ago, the Roman orator Cicero remarked,“History...pro-

vides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity.”Cicero was correct; all

cultures believe in the idea that history provides stories about the past that serve as

lessons on how to live in the present. These stories also help cement people into what

is called“a common culture.”This common culture creates a strong sense of unity

The Elements of Culture 57

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