Culture

Culture is a collection of ideas, embedded in a society, about what is permissible. For example, in most existing human cultures it is permissible to destroy the habitat of a species without a sense of responsibility or loss. In short, culture gives people permission to commit certain acts. If this permission were not granted, implicitly or explicitly, then there would be serious penalties (such as social sanction, fines, and prison) tied to that action or behavior.