'Religion says: The kingdom of God is within you; and culture, in like manner, places human perfection in an internal condition, in the growth and predominance of our humanity proper, as distinguished from our animality.'

(Matthew Arnold, Culture and Anarchy)

To what, in your opinion, does Matthew Arnold give primacy: 'culture' or 'religion'?

Arnold gives primacy to 'culture' in Culture and Anarchy, especially in the chapter entitled 'Sweetness and Light'. However, we must firstly decide what Arnold means by 'culture', a word that has so many connotations yet is so hard to define precisely. The difficulty inherent to this word is due to its relative nature. What one person calls 'culture' another may view as mere vanity or elitism; by the same rationale what someone else calls 'culture' may be described as mere middle-class populism. Ultimately there is no empirical definition that can fully describe all aspects of it, and to further the complexity of this linguistical problem, 'culture' is always changing. Therefore, in order to come to the decision that Arnold gives 'culture' primacy over 'religion', we must accept his definitions as a subjective truth, relative t

and beneficence, the desire for removing human error, clearing

In conclusion, Arnold sees 'culture' as an invaluable aid to the find the ideal state of consciousness for mankind, and to achieve this he believes in the endless expansion of our understanding, knowledge, reasoning and morality. However, can this ideal ever be reached if the desire for expansion is endless? Surely it is paradoxical because if Arnold believes in the capability of infinite improvement, then there can be no end. We can always get better, but never be the best. This, however, is still no bad thing, as it means we should never stop progressing and evolving.

Although I have decided that Arnold thought higher of 'culture' than 'religion', Arnold's insistence on a high level of morality to achieve this glorious age of enlightenment should not be underestimated. Indeed, in order to reach the heights of 'culture', a state that Arnold believed needed to be attained by, as opposed to already encompassing, the society he lived in, a 'high level of morality is indispensable'.

[Culture] moves by the force, not merely or primarily of the

At some stages in Culture and Anarchy, 'culture' and 'religion' appear to be equally rated by Arnold, but even then an underlying argument can be found for the supremacy of 'culture'. For example, Arnold calls religion 'the greatest and most important of the efforts by which the human race has manifested its impulse to perfect itself'. So, at first impressions, it would appear that 'religion' has primacy over 'culture'. However, as has already been noted, the desire to perfect ourselves is one of the most crucial element of 'culture', according to Arnold. Therefore, this quote can be de-constructed to 'religion is merely a manifestation of our inner desire for culture', rather than being its spiritual better.

and social passion for doing good.

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Approximate Word count = 1463
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)