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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36896
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36896
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

### The first approach is accurate, the **_second_** approach is wrong:

**1a.** Science helps us understand nature, vs.  
**1b.** People who do science help us understand nature.

Science, in general (I am a scientist) **does** help us understand nature. But not **_all people_** that do science help us understand nature, some people that do science are frauds, some are seeking wealth and do not intend to share their knowledge. **1a** is more accurate.

**_Can science perform an action like helping?_** Yes, of course. A step ladder can help me reach a high book shelf. Science IS understandings of how things work, from protozoans to galaxies, of course those understandings help us understand nature.

**2a.** Western culture pursues worldwide equality.  
**2b.** The people of Western culture pursue worldwide equality.

Again, not **all** people of Western culture do this, a large percentage are only out for themselves, some would literally return to the days of legalized slavery. (2b) is an over generalization that just isn't true.

**_Can Western culture perform an action like pursuing?_** Presumably, a culture can be pursuing something; it is composed of people that can come to some consensus. More than other cultures, the people of Western cultures have a consensus that equality is a good thing; but I wouldn't go so far as to say they actively **pursue** it, most seem to just hope it happens. But that is a quibble; cultures can take actions and pursuit is one of them. Wall Street culture pursues profit.

**3a.** That company seeks to promote a product. **3b.** The people of that company seek to promote a product.

Again, 3b is not accurate, most people in that company have other jobs, only a few in the marketing department actively seek to promote their products. Others are focused on accounting, payroll, hiring, engineering, programming, janitorial work, purchasing, receiving, manufacturing, shipping, etc.

**_Can that company perform actions such as seeking and promoting?_** Sure, the company is an entity in itself, composed of people, and in this case an explicitly **thinking** entity, organized to pursue objectives.

The key to all these examples is understanding how people use and understand words. "Help" does not have to be a physical action; the amorphous "Science" helps us understand nature because we read and understand the work and explanations of other people. Those **scientists** helped us, but not actively in person, their recorded understandings helped us, and we call those recorded understandings "science."

A culture is much the same; a collection of principles, beliefs and rules subscribed to by a body of people. Those **could** translate into a belief that positive action should be taken and rules made to eliminate inequalities whenever they are discovered or creep into their society, a culture like that could be characterized as pursuing equality. I just wouldn't say Western culture holds those beliefs.

Original score: 5