by Beverly Aarons

Certain human qualities are innate: the suckling instinct of a newborn baby, eating when hungry, drinking when thirsty, a reflexive kick when your knee is thumped. But there are other human qualities that only emerge through collective agreement, or what we call culture: the belief in individualism or the nuclear family, the desire to eat poultry instead of insects, the preference for a hike in the woods or a Saturday night watching football. Beyond the surface, culture shapes the way human groups (and individuals) view the world and their place in it.