Mentifact
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Term coined by Sir Julian Sorell Huxley, used together with the related terms "sociofact" and "artifact" to describe how cultural traits take on a life of their own, spanning over generations. This idea is related to memetics.
[edit] Definition
Mentifacts represent the ideas and beliefs of a culture, for example religion, language or law.
Mentifacts are the ideas, values and beliefs of a culture. Religion has shaped culture more than any other trait in the history of the world[citation needed]. The ancient Aztecs sacrificed hundreds of thousands of people for their religion; Sunday is considered a day of rest in most Christian cultures. Language is also an important mentifact. Languages adapt to suit a particular culture. Eskimos lives are dominated by living primarily in the snow and ice. Their language has over fifty words to describe different types of snow[citation needed]. English-speakers would be at a loss to describe all of the types of snow in the English language since snow isn't considered an important part of the culture.
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