Mentifact

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. Mentifacts represent the ideas and beliefs of a culture, as in religion, language or law.

Examples

• The ancient Aztecs sacrificed hundreds of thousands of people for their religion; Sunday is considered a day of rest in most Christian cultures.

• 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. English-speakers would be at a loss to describe all of the types of snow in the English language as snow isn't considered as important.