The volume opens with essays that define how culture emerges from natural and universal forms that cut across all types of societies. Geraldine Wagner broaches the subject by explaining how human nature is shaped by the social and cultural contexts in which we live. Many theorists, Wagner says, insist upon “patterns [or universals] that are found in all cultures.” Richard Savage and Sharon Link extend the “nature vs. nurture” debate by examining the relationship between biology and culture. As Savage puts it, we question “whether human behavior is the product of an innate and predetermined set of genetic and hormonal combinations or whether human behavior is the product of external and societal influences.” In an essay by Alexandra Howson, cultural relativism is defined as the degree of objective or universal meaning that is applied to cultural understanding.