In our language we attribute two uses to this concept, on the one hand, it is thus called the action and the effect of civilizing, which may imply the introduction of the civilization of one people into another, or failing that, the action of instructing or teach someone.
And on the other hand, civilization implies the series of uses and customs, ideas, art and culture, corresponding to a certain people or community.
Population or community with a defined and complex history and culture
In other words, civilization is a people that has a history, a culture and an important and proven development.
Although it is common to use the term in a general way, it should be clarified that civilization involves a community that through time and natural evolution shows a significant degree of complexity in its structure, for example, among other aspects.
The concept of civilization comes from another with which it is closely associated, which is the city, and the association is not capricious or accidental, since it was in cities where societies began to develop and reach significant degrees of evolution over time.
The influence of past civilizations in the present
The history of humanity is full of examples of various civilizations, some more primitive but no less important and transcendent in their influence, since the current civilization has taken many customs, principles and models from them.
We only have to delve a little into the ancient Roman civilization, with which of course we are separated by a few centuries of difference, but in many aspects, especially in the legal, our current civilization knew how to take as a guide and model the principles that the Romans they developed in the area of law.
This point is interesting because sometimes it is usually believed that all past times were not better, but on the contrary, that it lacks the advances that in many aspects we can say there are today, however, this is not the case in some issues and for example, some levels of life today are governed by some parameters of those old days.
Phenomenon that always implies progress
In specific terms, civilization can be described as the phenomenon by which a community or a society progresses not only in material matters but also in values, in power, in culture, in its understanding of life. Civilization supposes the presence of culture, that is, the possibility of human beings to take advantage of the environment that surrounds them and also to influence it.
The term civilization is normally used to refer to a very complex phenomenon, perhaps the most complex of all in terms of the social sphere and the human being.
But the concept of civilization was applied to very ancient societies such as the Egyptian or the Greco-Roman. This means that the concept of civilization does not have to do with a specific period of history, nor does it have to do with modern by exclusion. Thus, civilization can be understood as a community that has known how to progress and grow in areas such as in the use and exploitation of natural resources, in food production, in the division of labor (which speaks of a greater diversity of tasks that need to be fulfilled), in the growth of urban spaces that also suppose a certain independence with respect to primary agricultural tasks and greater dependence on other activities such as industrial and service activities.
In addition, civilizations have as their main characteristic the development of a cultural system not only of great importance but also influential in other societies. Elements such as writing, philosophy, science, religion and also forms of power are all important parts in making a small or isolated community a great civilization. In addition, technological development and the growth of communication systems also have an important level of significance in the concept since they signify very relevant achievements for the daily life of man.
