: A Comparative Analysis in Relation to the Western Civilization (Research Paper Sample)

360045360045 Eastern Cultures: A Comparative Analysis in Relation to the Western Civilization Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Eastern Culture: A Comparative Analysis in Relation to the Western Civilization Introduction Eastern culture is a conglomerate of multifarious ethnicities, religious, languages and countries. However, most of these entities have common traits that differ from characteristics of the Western civilization. One of these traits is the collectivist nature of the Oriental mindset (Stone, 2019). For this reason, one can speak of communication patterns and behaviors specific to Oriental culture. Studying such the local religion, education, history, political views, and tradi- tions will help understand the civilization of the East. A comparison between several aspects of the Oriental and Western societies, including their worldview, behavioral patterns, religions, and education, will reveal the distinctions and help understand the Eastern culture. The Eastern and Western cultures are mainly differentiated by their cultures and this is shown in the way people behave and how they conduct themselves in life. When comparing the two cultures, the other major key issue to note is how countries in the west put more value in being liberal as compared to countries in the east. In the west people are open and can be critical of things around them. Eastern collectivism vs Western Individualism In western cultures people are free to say things which are considered taboo in the eastern culture and venting when people are emotional is very common in the west (Migration transla- tors, 2021). However, this sort of behavior is very unlikely and rare in eastern cultures where people approach disputes and issues peacefully without being aggressive. One of the important elements of Oriental culture is social behavior defined by tradition. Many behavioral patterns in the East are based on the collectivist worldview (Stone, 2019). The main values of the local peo- ple lie in their affiliation with a specific group, such as family, corporation or nation. For this rea- son, the Easterners are focused on their groups, such as their extended families, than the Western- ers. The individualist worldview, characteristic for the West, gives preference to individual's goals and values over those of a specific community. Thus, the dominating idea of the Oriental culture is collectivism, while the guiding concept of the Western civilization is individualism. Family orientation and Marriage Consequently, these distinct mindsets result in different social behavioral patterns. East- erners are focused on their extended families much more than the Western people. From the dominance of family in the Orient result the customary practices, for example, such their ar- rangements of marriage. Most people in the East acknowledge marriage as a socio-economic union set up by their parents or guardians (Michelini, 2020). Evidently, Easterners place a high value into the social bonds and believe that love comes after marriage. Such an approach to mari- tal ties and to love is very different from the one traditionally accepted in Western culture, which focuses on the romantic union. Westerners often “embark on an endless search for their perfect match,” according to Davis (2018, §3). The purpose of this search is to find a soulmate, which is understood as a source of interpersonal understanding within the couple and last for the longevity of their relationship. The Oriental people, however, perceive the marital union as a social ar- rangement instead of a personal quest. This difference between two civilizations is especially striking, because the entire modern Western culture, starting with cinematograph and ending with popular music, is based on the concept of a search for love. Eastern and Western Religious practices Another important aspect of Oriental culture is religion, which has many more expres- sions there than in the Western civilization. Eastern religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, Jain- ism, Shenism, Taoism, and Islam, which innately differ on many levels. Hinduism and Shenism are pantheistic religions, while Buddhism and Islam are monotheistic ones (Oostveen, 2019). These are religions in the traditional sense, based on faith and fortified by specific doctrines. Taoism, on the other hand, is rather a philosophical platform than a religion. Jainism and, par- tially, Buddhism, are products of the social elite (Oostveen, 2019). Shenism is a Chinese folk re- ligion that combines gods and spirits. The differences between the beliefs within one region is a phenomenon incomparable to the predominantly Christian Western civilization. Despite of their differences, the branches of Christianity are much more alike than the distinct faiths of the East. The plurality of these options in belief indicates the variations in local ethnic perception of the world within the culture of the Orient. Educational approaches and Learning styles The distinctions between the education system in the West and in the East are equally im- portant for the understanding of the Oriental culture. In the Western academia, East Asian stu- dents are often perceived as “lacking critical thinking” (Moosvi, 2020, p. 2). This discriminative stereotyping originates in the difference of cultural approaches to learning. Criticism is com- monly known as the main educational technique in the Western academia. Students adopt this tool early and apply it often to assess the facts they use in their argumentation. In the Oriental culture, however, critique is perceived as socially disruptive (Stone, 2019). For this reason, East- ern people avoid criticism in communication as well as in educational processes. In the Oriental academia, education is focused on the absorption of information rather than of its evaluation (Hassan & Syuhada, 2010). The comprehension of knowledge as a conglomerate of facts arises from this worldview, that contrasts to the Western critical mindset. Therefore, the traditional Western understanding of learning as a critical assessment of facts is inapplicable to the Eastern schools. Learning processes and abilities development From the differences in perception of the learning process in Western and Oriental academias originate also the distinct approach to its evaluation. In the West, critical abilities are developed at school, and the students’ performance is judged upon their ability to...