The Expanded Self: Society as Self 275“9x6” b2726 Self and the Phenomenon of Life: A Biologist Examines Life from Molecules to Humanityworkers were needed to continuously cool down the overheated fuel
rods in the reactors with seawater as an emergency measure. An agoniz-
ing dilemma confronted the authorities: to keep sending workers into an
increasingly contaminated area in a last-ditch effort to cover the nuclear
fuel with water, thus exposing the workers to surely lethal levels of radia-
tion, or to protect the workers from radiation but risk further meltdown,
leading to much larger release of radioactive material and subsequently
endangering a much larger population. Under the circumstances, 750
workers were evacuated, but, altruistically, 50 people volunteered to stay
behind, heroically sacrificing their lives for the common good. Without
remonstration, they took it as part of their duty, facing the prospect of
death to fulfill their obligation, saying, “This is our mission: protecting
people with our lives.” Their families accepted the decision without
complaint.^32
12.6.10 Role of culture
The role of culture in unifying a group of people and shaping their identity
is indisputable. Those who speak the same language, practice the same
customs, uphold the same values, and share the same religious belief are
likely to stay together. Conversely, animosities and clashes frequently hap-
pen among peoples of different cultures, resulting in inter-group conflict.
Culture is the cumulative product of human activities transmit-
ted across generations through imitation and learning. In rudimentary
forms, “culture” is also found in non-human higher animals. For exam-
ples, bird songs acquire regional variations as in human local dialects
and accents. Macaque monkeys on Koshima Island (Japan) learn the
tradition of washing sweet potatoes before eating. African chimpanzees
use sticks to “fish” out termites for food, and use stones to crack open
nuts, both transmitted through teaching. Humpback whales learn a spe-
cial way to procure food through sound communication.^33 Nonetheless,
it is only in humankind that culture becomes a formidable social driving
force, for better or for worse.