Definition of Words

1. Definition of Words By Alan Liu

2. First word: Convergence • Convergence has various definitions • It means: • (1) The point of converging: the house is at the convergence of two roads. It also means • (2) the act of converging: At last the global convergence is obtained. • (3) The degree or point of which a line or an object converges: The convergence of the two lines. • (4) The Mathematical term of convergence: “The property or manner of approaching a limit, such as a point, line etc.” • (5) Biologically term of convergence: “The evolution of the superficial similar structures in unrelated species as they adapt in different environment.” • (6)Psychological term of convergence: “the turning of the eyes inwards in order to fixate an object nearer than the one previous fixated.”

3. Second word: Cultural bias • Cultural bias means the act of ignoring the differences between cultures, and judging the culture by an ignorance rather than an objective way, in which holds prejudice views due the undiscerning of one culture to another, that imposes one culture's belief to another, therefore contains a more or less personal perspective to a culture, from the access of sources which are rather unreliable and can be misleading.

4. Examples (1) • Such as judging one’s culture from the some selected behaviors of an individual or a group which from the one’s bias perspective represents the entire culture, as we may see the religious ceremonies of the dead in Tibetan part of China as cruel, barbaric and superstitious. Since they have the eagles eat up the dead bodies of their people for their funeral. It is believed that if the eagles were to finish the entire body of the dead before dawn, then the person must be a pious worshiper of the Buddha, and will obtain a good life in the next life. From this, we have to look it in an objective way; it is a part of their religious practice, as the final sacred funeral. This might sound unreasonable to do so for most of us, which leads us to impose our own cultural beliefs on it. This includes prejudice and other types of contempt, or even disrespect towards this particular culture.

5. Example (1) • As we are not looking from their perspective, on the other hand, they might think of our funeral as ridicule, since we have funerals with coffins and burying of our bodies, or maybe other types which differs from theirs. This particular case can create a lot of misunderstanding of the culture and we shouldn’t have ideas like such if we were to look at it objectively and properly, and this is why cultural bias exists because there are many existing cultures we don’t know and have difficulties understanding, because ours differ from theirs, therefore we should try to look at different cultures without any personal prejudice or in other words having cultural bias of any sort.

6. Example (2) • the cultural difference between China and most other countries is huge, for example we eat with chopsticks and in most western countries they eat with forks and knives. This small difference could create cultural bias. Since we might find the knife useless to eat dumplings, or if we were to eat noodles, the knife is like an accessory, and by using the fork, you can use it wrap the noodles around it and then deliver it to the mouth, with the chopsticks, it is simple and it uses just one movement, where you pick up the noodles and off it goes to the mouth.

7. Example (2) • On the other hand, people who are not used to eat with chopsticks will think it is ridicule to use two sticks to pick up food. This small custom already creates a cultural bias view for a particular culture, by imposing prejudices against a different way of eating. Therefore it is difficult to be objective to another culture, unless one has lived in it and really understood it, and it is best for us to try to look at things in other perspectives than just imposing one’s personal beliefs.

8. Conclusion • In conclusion, we should say that it is difficult not have cultural bias since we each have different cultures and perspectives but we have to learn to accept the differences and respect the cultures, and to look at them in objective ways

9. The End Thank you for listening!