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 a systemic method that was formed in the second half of the twentieth
century. A systemic method of the analysis of the culturology allows to
view cultural processes, events, phenomena as a single system.

4. Definition of culture. Functions of culture
In modern science, there is no common definition of ‘culture’. Some scientists

understand culture as a value of a spiritual life. Narrowing the concept other
scientists refer to culture only as an ideology that must serve the sphere of
production. Culturologists believe that today there are more than 500 definitions of
culture. This is due to the phenomenon of its versatility and a wide use of the term

‘culture’ in different disciplines.
The term ‘culture’ in its initial interpretation was associated with the notions
of action, efforts aimed at something, and was used as a specific supplement,

denoting the culture of something: the culture of spirit, culture of mind and so on.
Later culture came to be understood as ‘humanity’ that distinguishes a person from
the nature, its wild state. Culture began to measure the quality that distinguishes a

Roman from a barbarian, a civilized man from a savage, natural things from
artificial. In ancient Greece, the word ‘culture’ (from the Latin cultura - processing,
breeding, care) related to the agricultural labor. The figurative meaning of culture

is care, improvement, ennoblement of the body, soul and spiritual inclinations and
abilities of a person. Accordingly, there is the culture of body, soul and spiritual
culture (in this sense Cicero says about ‘cultura animi’ - the culture of soul).
Thus, culture is a set of material and spiritual values, which reflect active

creative work of people in the historical development of the society. Culture is a
way of human activity, by means of which material and spiritual values are

historically created. Culture is a condition of social existence of a person. A society
is the field of cultural activity of a person.
Analysis of the nature of culture and its place in the society reveals the major
interrelated aspects of culture:

1) culture is a social phenomenon generated by the society that reflects its
qualitative characteristics and enriches the spiritual life;
2) culture is a process of human creativity aimed at knowing the surrounding

world and a human in this world, obtaining objective and reliable information
about the world, where the main role is played by science and art;
3) culture is designed to help a human not only to understand the world and

himself, but also determine his place;
4) culture encompasses the essence of human progress in the development of
the world of material and spiritual values and corresponding value orientations of

people in the world;
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