Physical Needs Set the Standard and Pace for Intercultural Relations
By Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng
December 2022 EDITORIAL
THERE ARE CERTAIN aspects of human cultures which are more universal than others – largely by virtue of the fact that they deal with physical needs more than with social norms or intellectual understandings.Cultures develop and differ based on common solutions that each of these aspects attained over time - and that is ritualised, articulated and valued as identity markers. And so, we feel we are able to easily and quickly recognise a Malay, a Chinese, an Indian, et cetera,...
Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng
is the Executive Director of Penang Institute. His latest book is Signals in the Noise: Notes on Penang, Malaysia and the World (Singapore: Faction Press) Homepage: wikibeng.com.
