Culture can be generally referred to as the way of life of a people. This can be seen in the way people use their language, dressings, traditions, economic activities among others.
The European culture is majorly composed of very many cultures. This can be traced from the south to the north, east to the west, Catholicism and Protestantism.
The European culture has its foundations in the Greek culture. This was later made stronger by the Romans during their rein and was made stable by Christianity. This culture optimizes in the 15thc during the renaissance and the reformation era. During time this culture developed and became very complex in that it covered the philosophy, Christianity, the way of thinking. Due to the connections globally, Europe in general was influenced by cultures from different parts of the world. Hence from the mid 19th C this was experienced in the way of life of the people. (Lawrence, 2005)
On philosophy, the European dominates up to date. This foundation was laid by the various philosophical schools in Greek which provided basis for the development of the Christian thought which has ever since made great impacts in the European philosophies. This is the base of the philosophical domination to date. Philosophical periods during this period include the renaissance, the reasoning age and the enlightenment age. These saw the contributions of people John Locke and René Descartes. There are also very many other philosophies that developed during this period and they include Existentialism, Marxism, Nationalism, Fascism, Perspectivism, liberalism, Conservatism, Empiricism among others.
Literature of the whole Europe has arisen in the different stages up to where it is today. The very first that forms the foundations of the literature were in 2000BC. Examples are in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Egyptian book of the dead. These had their sources in the oral traditions. The European literature can trace its roots from the Greek and Latin literature. After the fall of the Roman Empire, many kinds of literature came into existence. Much literature has their foundations in the epic poems. After the Greek and the Latin literature, Islamic literature came into existence; this was seen in most Islamic countries Europe. Also the Persian literature, the Ottoman literature and the Jewish literature that was seen in Japan, India among other countries. After this came the renaissance literature which had many changes, including different poems styles of writing. (Power,2006)
Religion wise, Christianity has dominated Europe and has really contributed in shaping European culture. Christian philosophers like St. Aquinas and Erasmus have impacted the philosophical thought of the modern times. Popular Christian religions include the Roman Catholicism, the orthodox Christianity and Protestantism. These have different teachings which have resulted into different lifestyles in their followers.
Other religions that are present in Europe and have influenced the lives of the people include Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Rastafarian communities, Sikhism, Jainism and Traditional African Religions which includes the Muti.
The Jewish culture provided a base various Christian movements to have a global direction as a Christian community. This is in the sense in that these Christian communities have come to realize that they have a common origin of theological framework. Also they come to realize they are directed by the common philosophy. (Grant,1974)
Also there are religion atheists and agnostics who have impact on the individuals’ lives.
In arts, the European culture has embraced sculpture, music, architecture, sculpture and literature. The Western Europe has experienced different painting styles as compared to the Eastern Europe. This has influenced the arts in these areas. In sculpture, this culture has had the ancient Greek culture, the found art, the renaissance sculpture among others.
In music, it has had the classical music examples are those that were composed by Richard Strauss, Schumann, and J.S. Bach among others. Folk music has also been evidenced; this is evident in their oral traditions. Also the classical compositions were made from these folk melodies. Sop from this, it is evident that the music of this period was of a wide range.
Humanism refers to the approach in the study or rather the philosophy or practices that focus on human beings, in their ways of dealing with fellow human beings. Generally the European culture has seen the existence of several humanist motives. Examples are in Secular humanism, Individualism which is a form Humanism, Marxist humanism, Religious humanism which is an integration of the ethics with the religious. All these have been experienced in the European culture from the west to the east. It is thus clear that the culture was complex.
Medieval science has very many implications to the modern science. First, the medieval science provided the academic background of for the modern science to take root. In this, it provided scholarly background in materials and in the individuals who in turn came up with great ideas of developing the medieval science. Also, the medieval science benefitted much from the inventions in the machines and tools that are necessary for the developments in the science field.
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Works cited
Grant, E. A source book in medieval science. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.1974 print
Lawrence, C. Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages. New York: Longman. 2005 print
Power, D. The central middle Ages: Europe 950–1320.London: Oxford University Press.2006 Print
