The Concept of Culture

During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century diffusionist research began as a means of understanding the distributions of human cultures across the globe, diffusion. Specifically they addressed the question of cultural differences in the world in terms of the origin of culture traits and their spreading from one society to another (through migration, trade, war or any other contact). While there are probably many different versions it seems that that most believed in one of two different theories;  you either believed that certain cultural features were originated from one cultural center (heliocentric diffusion) or the more reasonable belief that culture originated from a few cultural centers (culture circles). For instance, Boas (1938) sought to understand culture traits in terms of diffusion and modification; eventually  bringing up an argument that independent invention of a culture trait could occur at the same time within widely separated societies, allowing them to create a unique style. Though it is suspected that there was some genetic linkage.

Nonetheless thanks to research that involved observing societies, how they may be influenced to innovate and predicting the results of such innovation diffusion is, now, well documented in the business and industrial world.  Eventually leading to the creation of copyright / patent laws to protect individual innovations which suggested that borrowing ideas is a decidedly human practice. Especially because it is easier to copy an invention than it is to create an entirely new invention. Although it may be difficult to justify, business historians credit diffusion in the development of industrial societies, such as in the U.S. and in continental Europe.