Santos, Maria Ana Karina V. SS4 1. Define and explain civilization.

BSBA3

An advanced state of intellectual, cultural, and material development in human society, marked by progress in the arts and sciences, the extensive use of record-keeping, including writing, and the appearance of complex political and social institutions. The type of culture and society developed by a particular nation or region or in a particular epoch: Mayan civilization; the civilization of ancient Rome. The act or process of civilizing or reaching a civilized state. Cultural or intellectual refinement; good taste. Modern society with its conveniences: returned to civilization after camping in the mountains.

Civilization (or civilisation) is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally hierarchical and urbanized. In a classical context, people were called "civilized" to set them apart from barbarians, while in a modern-day context, "civilized peoples" have been contrasted with primitive peoples. There is a tendency to use the term in a less strict way, to mean approximately the same thing as "culture" and therefore, the term can more broadly refer to any important and clearly defined human society. Still, even when used in this second sense, the word is often restricted to apply only to societies that have attained a particular level of advancement-especially the founding of cities. The level of advancement of a civilization is often measured by its progress in agriculture, longdistance trade, occupational specialization, a special governing class and urbanism. Aside from these core elements, a civilization is often marked by any combination of a number of secondary elements, including a developed transportation system, writing, standardized measurement, currency, contractual and (tortbased) legal systems, characteristic art and architecture, mathematics, enhanced scientific understanding, metallurgy, political structures,and an astronomical understanding.

2. Importance of civilization. Civilization includes all aspects of culture, such as technology/government etc. So the importance of civilization is that it is living beyond just the hunter-gatherer stage, where they lived to survive, eat and reproduce. Civilization is living beyond survival. The benefits of civilization are well understood by most. Quality of life has increased in certain ways, such as reduced chances of being murdered or starving, and incredible progress in medical procedures. But the drawbacks are vast, and much more obscured due to capitalism. Capitalism is the ever-present life coach in our face telling us its OK to consume and that consequences dont exist. Our general distaste for facing negative realities is also a factor preventing us from exploring the problems caused by our view of nature and our inability to recognize the rights of species other than our own.