To be “cultured” once meant something. This we can intuit without ever opening the Oxford English Dictionary and hunting down a definition. Culture seeps from Henry James’ The Portrait of a Lady and The Ambassadors. It colours Lord Henry’s every witticism in The Picture of Dorian Grey, turning himinto something of a literary icon. Winston Churchill’s prose veritably sparkles with erudition and intellect, his familiarity with history and the world almost dazzling. And parts of C.S. Lewis’ Surprised by Joy are almost meaningless unless one is at least vaguely familiar with Siegfried and the Twilight of the Gods, Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, the Nordic dying god Balder, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the Old and New Testaments, the writings of George MacDonald, anda good deal of Greek mythology and English poetry.
To this cultured list we may also add Eleanor Roosevelt, who spearheaded the establishment of the UN Commission on Human Rights and the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; poet, singer, composer, author, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou; Ada Lovelace, the daughter of the notorious Lord Byron who, even as a woman in the 19th century, was a gifted mathematician and is recognized by some as the world’s first computer programmer; and many others who were not merely sophisticated but enlightened, not merely cosmopolitan but cultivated.
It is true, we live in a very different world than these icons who bound off the pages of literature and history; and yet, the draw of being cultured has for many lost little of its appeal. I readily admit my own desire to be broadly educated and able to hold a conversation (or ask intelligent questions, at the very least) on a myriad of topics, from neoclassical art to quantum mechanics; to be equally as able to enjoy the richness of a symphony at the philharmonic, a rock concert at a nearby stadium, and a jazz night in a local pizza joint; to be familiar with wine varietals, regions, and pairings; to be able to engage thoughtfully with those who are unlike myself politically, religiously, or socially; to be able to place a painting in its artistic period and evaluate its various techniques and inspirations; to speak more than one language, to give thoughtfully to charity, and to be at ease when faced with a a six course dinner with an 18-piece table setting.
Although culture has shifted, what it means to be cultured has largely remained the same. It continues to describe individuals who exhibit elevated manners, refined tastes, and a well-rounded education—those who are connoisseurs of the world and who readily engage in the richness it offers. To this I may add an additional, if somewhat controversial criteria: to be cultured is to be centred in the past, aware of the nuanced reality of the cultural heritage upon which you stand, and regarding history with appreciation and charitable criticism without condemnation. More on this in a moment. First, let’s examine manners, taste, education, and historical centeredness in turn.
Manners
The manners of a cultured individual extend well beyond the various civil decencies we learn as children—though even this, might I add, is something of a dying art. A single conversation with someone working as a waiter or waitress is enough to erode one’s faith in humanity. To engage with others, including strangers, with courtesy, generosity, and decorum are timeless skills we must continue to cultivate. Such mere politeness is the lowest threshold of manners every person ought to possess.
Manners also include etiquette: that is, the appropriate and acceptable codes of behaviour for a given social setting. Etiquette answers commonplace questions such as What are my responsibilities as a host? As a guest? When should I send someone a thank you card? How should I respond to a professional email? How much should I tip?
It further extends beyond this to include more specific formalities such as When is it appropriate to applaud during a symphony? Which utensils should I use when during a six-course meal? How should I behave at the funeral of someone of a different faith than my own? Etiquette supplies the answers to questions of acceptable behaviour in situations when it may otherwise be unclear or daunting.
Closely tied to courtesy and etiquette are important qualities of character such as humility, respect, sportsmanship, magnanimity, and charity. These virtues are manners in action, and each is intertwined with the others, so that one cannot display sportsmanlike behaviour without possessing magnanimity, or extend charity without also exhibiting respect. Truly elevated manners are not merely proper behaviour, but right behaviour. And manners that are not firmly rooted in strong moral qualities are little more than superficial niceties and veiled pretension.
Taste
Sophisticated taste is another mark of the cultured person. We must be careful to note here, however, that sophistication is not synonymous with expensive. Expensive taste that lacks refinement is merely gauche, and sophistication needn’t be costly. To have cultured taste is to conscientiously curate, evaluate, and appreciate what one consumes.
To curate implies that one does not consume blindly or thoughtlessly, but takes the time to intentionally decide what does and does not have a place in their life. From the films they watch and the books they read, to the music they listen to and the food they eat, the cultured person evaluates the quality and value of their artistic and material experiences. This involves both an objective and a subjective evaluation. It is not merely enough to ask, “Is Mahler’s 5th Symphony objectively good?” One must additionally answer: “Does this symphony add value/beauty/joy to my life?”
A proper evaluation will balance both truth and opinion, acknowledging when the two do not align without either condemnation or self-judgement. Thus, cultured taste may appreciate Beethoven’s musical greatness without feeling an inclination or obligation to listen to his symphonies. It may also, on the other hand, admit a penchant for Israeli pop without experiencing embarrassment for enjoying such “low culture.” Sophisticated taste discriminates between high culture and low culture, but it does not discriminate against either. To do so would be to devolve into snobbery of the very worst sort.
Even so, the cultured person possesses a nuanced understanding and appreciation for the high arts, be they artistic, culinary, literary, musical, or theatrical. They have, for example, refined their tastes in wine and are able to differentiate between a Bordeaux and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, they are familiar with the literary works written by Dostoevsky and Dumas and Fitzgerald, they can identify various artistic techniques as they wander through galleries at the Louvre, and they can distinguish between classical pieces from the Classical and Romantic periods. These are, of course, examples, not prerequisites. Culture has many facets, and a person may explore some but not others.
The main point here is that cultured people are broadly appreciative of high culture. To have cultured taste is to be a connoisseur of the finer things in life, without becoming a critic of everything else; it is a posture of appreciation and delight for that which is good, true, and beautiful.
Knowledge
An overlap exists between taste and knowledge. Taste implies that a person can delight in a powerful orchestral performance; knowledge means they are aware the piece being performed is Dvorak’s New World Symphony, composed during the Late Romantic Period and inspired by African-American spirituals.
By no means does being cultured suggest that one must be profoundly knowledgable about all the nuances of art, history, philosophy, science, culture, current events, and additionally be able to speak five languages. Rather, the cultured person is a well-rounded generalist, broadly acquainted with many topics, intimately familiar with a few. The phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none, is still better than master of one” is fitting here.
Certainly, knowledge itself is important. But more important by far is a posture of curiosity, an eagerness to continually expand one’s mind and better understand the world in which one lives. To be cultured is to be comfortable with being an amateur—that is, with being one does things out of love (the Latin amator meaning “to love”). Thus, the amateur is unafraid of exploring new subjects, new ideas, or new hobbies, marked by the understanding that they have the freedom to explore without the obligation to master.
Curiosity, not obligation, cultivates the breadth of knowledge possessed by those who are cultured. The curious person integrates learning into their daily life, exploring the Enlightenment history, or quantum physics, or East Asian economics, or Ancient Greek because such topics excite them. The desire to know spurs action, leading them to read books, watch documentaries, listen to podcasts, visit museums, attend lectures, take classes, and study new languages. A love of learning precedes and compels the learning itself, resulting in a person who is, after years of delightfully self-indulgent study for its own sake, possesses a fluent grasp of a striking array of diverse topics.
Historical Centeredness
To return at last to my controversial point above, to be cultured is to be centred in the past, aware of the nuanced reality of the cultural heritage upon which you stand, and regarding history with appreciation and charitable criticism without condemnation. The person who stands in their corner of history and gazes upon those who preceded them with scorn and castigation is neither enlightened nor cultured, but merely an egoist. Judging the past through a modern lens is easy and takes no learning, no charity, and no humility. It is the antithesis of magnanimity, belying a soul so marked by smallness that it cannot recognize that the moral high ground it uses as its soapbox is located in the middle of a very flat field. Those who condemn history are often those who understand history least and see themselves poorest. Our greatest humility is experienced when we cease to stare in the rearview mirror and instead hold a mirror up to our own faces.
Certainly, history has been witness to tragedies, injustices, and inequalities. But to condemn all of history on this account is as uncharitable as it is absurd. History is not an entity that can be damned by the actions of individuals. Nor can the individuals who occupy the pages of history be rightly judged according to laws we have fashioned only by standing on their shoulders. There are perhaps few greater injustices than refashioning the world in your own image then demanding that those who are powerless abide by your rules or die at your hand. For who is more powerless than the dead? It is a cruel arrogance to believe they too cannot suffer at the hand of unjust judgement.
Culture is a historical legacy, an inheritance passed down from generation to generation. It is an imperfect legacy, that is true. This criticism may be rightly levelled, but it also must be charitable. If we ourselves became subject to the criticism of those who preceded us, our culture would stand absolutely and justifiably condemned.
Conclusion
Anyone who is unwilling to accept the inheritance of culture—be it Western, Eastern, or any other cultural legacy—cannot be cultured. For that is the mark of being cultured: to accept, appreciate, and treasure culture until one is able to pass it down, intact if not improved, to those who come after them. It is to recognize that they are but one link in a long chain of history, and to accept that although culture is their birthright, it is not personal property but a heritage of humanity. What has been bequeathed must be safeguarded so that what has been safeguarded may be passed down.
Perhaps the question that most obviously remains is why? Why should we strive to be cultured? Is it not antiquated and pretentious? Not at all. To be cultured in the manner I have described above is to live well—to show greatness of soul towards others and towards yourself; to find delight in that which has been deemed most beautiful and noble by the democracy of mankind; to be ever curious, ever exploring, ever learning; to safeguard the historical legacy that has been passed down to us and, with humility and courage, to bequeath it to those who will come after. To be cultured is not simply a self-interested endeavour, but among our highest societal duties. Because who are we as a civilization if we cannot even accept, appreciate, treasure, and pass on that which has been given to us for free?
1 thought on “What Does It Mean to Be Cultured?”
Wow! I just enjoyed a delightful meal which fills and satisfies to my soul… This is a great overview on what it means to be cultured! This could potentially be a guiding north star for a classical school… Now I have a new goal, aspire to become cultured s per your description!
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