Culture as the “third pillar” of social life

What are the pillars that hold society together? The economy, politics and culture – all of which are equally important. Culture is the spiritual, cohesive pillar, without which the lives of individuals would succumb to selfish and overbearing economics, or cede to the brute force of political power. In fact, when left unchecked, the economy sparks competition over the appropriation of wealth and creates a schism between rich and poor. Even politics, when left to its own devices, triggers power struggles and creates a divide between the powerful and the powerless, between masters and subjects. In both scenarios, the results cause disintegration. Culture, intended as a social fact, is that which “makes up” a society, and even the Italian Constitution recognises the place it must hold in social life: Article 33 enshrines the idea that the essence of culture is freedom and that enslavement to economic or political interests betrays the function of culture.