Values
According to psychology.iresearchnet.com,Values are core beliefs and practices from which people operate. Each culture possesses its own particular values, traditions, and ideals. Integrity in the application of a “value” over time ensures its continuity, and this continuity separates a value from simple beliefs, opinions, and ideals. Cultural groups may endorse shared values. However, a given individual within that culture may vary in agreement with the group cultural values.
Cultural values determine a lot. For example, a culture that highly values independency may be more likely to teach children things in school with the goal of helping them achieve total independency from their family in the future. Cultural values determine the character of a culture overall.
Different cultural cateogries of values include:
- Ethics (right from wrong, moral vs immoral)
- Aesthetics (what is considered beautiful or attractive)
- Doctrinal (religious virtues or values)
- Innate (inborn values such as self-preservation)
- Passive (those left for the next generation or are never used)
- Potential (something that will be valuable in the future)
Values are core beliefs and practices from which people operate. Each culture possesses its own particular values, traditions, and ideals. Integrity in the application of a “value” over time ensures its continuity, and this continuity separates a value from simple beliefs, opinions, and ideals. Cultural groups may endorse shared values. However, a given individual within that culture may vary in agreement with the group cultural values.
Cultural values determine a lot. For example, a culture that highly values independency may be more likely to teach children things in school with the goal of helping them achieve total independency from their family in the future. Cultural values determine the character of a culture overall.
Different cultural cateogries of values include:
- Ethics (right from wrong, moral vs immoral)
- Aesthetics (what is considered beautiful or attractive)
- Doctrinal (religious virtues or values)
- Innate (inborn values such as self-preservation)
- Passive (those left for the next generation or are never used)
- Potential (something that will be valuable in the future)
Shelter
Shelter is however your people group makes their homes. They may be nomads that carry tents, or live in a canyon and carve out houses in the cliffs. They could live in tree houses, cabins, houseboats, small huts, immense estates, or even underground. The possibilities are almost limitless. Whatever you choose, the architecture should reflect the resources available and the cultural values.
Economy
Economy depends on a couple of factors.
- Type of government
- Resources available
- International relations
The type of government dictates how freely people are allowed to trade. The stark differences between communism and democracy are a good example. In general governments that are more democratic allow their citizens more liberty to trade with each other and exchange goods and services.
What resources there are in a country determines what the people can sell and what they are more likely to buy. In a country with lots of forested areas, but no access to the ocean, they may primarily export wood in exchange for importing goods like fish and salt.
When two countries are on good terms with each other or have a trade agreement, they can safely trade with each other accordingly. However, if there is a war between countries A and B, and A wants to buy war supplies from country C, but its allied with country B, then that would complicate things. C could refuse to trade with A, or trade under the table.
Religion
Religion determines doctrinal values in a culture. Different religions originated from different cultures around the world, and you can see that in how they are structured and what the sub-culture is like. Religions often challenge people to do or change certain things about themselves. Some require specific ways to dress, coming of age rituals, or ways of conduct. Almost all religions also have a religious text of their own that they base all of their beliefs off of.
There are a lot of different types of religions.
- Deism
- Polytheism
- Panentheism
- Agnosticism
- Monotheism
- Atheism
- Nontheism
- Transtheism
- Ignosticism
- Īśvarism
- Ietsism
- Trinity
Education
First you want to determine what types of things students will be learning. Which once again goes back to the cultural values. Different cultures put the emphasis on different aspects of education. Some may teach self-defense to all ages. Others might encourage the majority to careers with hands-on jobs. College-level education may or may not be attainable.
There are also different teaching methods to consider. In some cultures, there are public schools made by the government, which then dictates the curriculum. In others, there are private schools, run by individuals and sometimes following the guidelines of a specific religion, making it a religious institution. On the other hand, parents may teach their children themselves, usually via homeschooling methods.
Once you determine the route you want to go with, you can develop your teachers' methods and styles for teaching more fully.
Climate
Climate can change a lot about a people group's way of life. If it's hot for most of the year, then there may be droughts (resulting in possible famines), or plenty of time to grow crops (which can lead to farming being a big industry). If it's often cold and snowy, then hunting is more important. Think about different ecosystems and areas of the world, then research them and find unique ways that people survive in those places.
Government/Laws
There are various types of government, such as monarchies, colonialism, and democracies. A government will be structured to reflect what a culture values. The US, for example, values freedom a great deal, and as such, is a constitutional republic, with the Constitution describing all the irrefutable freedoms of its citizens.
There are at least 20 different kinds of governments, and some of them can be combined, such as the constitutional republic mentioned above. I will not extensively describe these, as there are many, but research is reccomended. There can be more to fantasy than monarchies, after all.
Recreation/Entertainment
Recreation is dependant upon cultural values and resources. The ancient Romans loved to watch gladiator fights, and were a very militiaristic culture as a whole. Passive cultures would not use combat as a means of entertainment, perhaps turning towards races, or competitions of wit instead. Some cultures may use prizes as incentive, or have the attitude that competing for a reward is shallow. Almost anything can be used as a passtime, whether it be music, plays, or some form of advanced technology, like virtual reality.
Language
Language largely relates to culture. This is partly how slang comes about, and determines what are the worst insults, or best compliments. One thing to keep in mind is that language devolves over time, so if you are showing how a culture has changed through history, then speech will slowly become less and less complex and elaborate.
I'm not going to go into a whole lot of detail here, since my next Worldbuilding 101 post will be about creating a fictional language.
Culture is complex and can be influenced by many, many factors, but hopefully this gives you an idea of where to start.
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