Culture is an inherent phenomenon of humanity. As a natural process, societies form their own values, beliefs, norms and behaviors over time. This process, like the evolution of living things in an ecosystem, is shaped by the historical contexts, geographies and social conditions of societies. However, this natural evolution of culture has been constantly interfered with by systems, ideologies and engineering interventions throughout history. These interventions not only transform culture, but also give it a real distortion. And what is the price of this distortion? In fact, we often do not realize that the culture we think exists of our own free will is often the engineered product of others.
The natural evolution of culture is a reflection of humanity's collective accumulation, experience and creativity. Each individual and society is uniquely shaped by this evolutionary process. However, modern societies have become a mechanism that systematically shapes cultural norms and values. This mechanism manipulates culture as a product and molds it into certain forms to direct society. This engineering poses a threat to the free nature of culture. This is because culture, like an ecosystem, is structured in such a way that each part should naturally nurture the other. However, when this structure is manipulated by external forces, everything becomes like a cog in a machine.
Societies are often unaware of these engineering interventions. The hegemonic cultural structures that emerge from a combination of education, media, economics and politics shape the behaviors, ways of thinking and values that people take for granted as “natural”. Without questioning how “natural” a culture is, we accept it as an identity. However, we do not even realize that this culture is often a design imposed on us. For example, the concepts of individuality and freedom are important in the evolution of societies, but these concepts have been processed and reshaped in line with the needs of the capitalist system. Everything is said in the name of freedom, when in fact this freedom is only an illusion.
Systems constantly conform individuals to norms through cultural engineering. If we look at fashion, the development of technology, social media trends and many other elements, they are merely external engineering products of culture. Individuals often take these elements for granted. However, this is only a reflection of culture; in essence, people could have created very different dynamics within themselves. So the idea that there is a “natural” culture is often an illusion.
For example, the culture closest to human needs and creation is the culture of local communities, shaped by nature. These communities have tried to survive through certain rituals and traditions in interaction with natural resources. However, the industrial revolution and the subsequent “globalization” of culture have slowly swept away these local textures. We can now speak of a global culture, a culture shaped solely by economic interests and political hegemony.
This raises a philosophical question: Is there really a free culture? And how might this freedom be shaped by external interventions? The intervention of hegemonic systems in culture creates a structure that eliminates the intellectual independence of the individual. Within this structure, everything is perceived as “natural” and “acceptable”. In reality, however, society is constantly subjected to external interference and repression. The individual, who sees himself as part of a free, creative and natural culture, is actually drawn into the deepest depths of manipulation.
Culture is an evolutionary process, but this process can always change under the influence of external forces. Interference in the evolution of culture aims to mold societies into certain patterns. People often do not recognize these interventions because it is presented to them as a “natural” culture. This culture gets in the way of our true identity, nature and freedom. A truly free culture is one that can exist beyond external interventions and systems. But to create this culture, we must oppose social engineering and question the structures that prevent the natural evolution of culture.
Therefore, where does culture end and the system begin? The question is not only a conceptual distinction, but also reveals the invisible domination of power over culture. A free culture is free to the extent that it can exist with its own internal dynamics, beyond the systems that claim to regulate it. However, in modern societies, the system has turned into an apparatus that shapes, directs and controls culture rather than a structure that protects it. Therefore, the liberation of culture is not only an aesthetic or symbolic issue; it is also a field of political resistance. Unless the practices of social engineering that interrupt the natural flow of culture are questioned, the boundary between culture and the system becomes blurred and culture becomes a tool for the reproduction of power.
Gürsel Karaaslan