ärvts

ärvts is a term used in some social sciences and humanities to describe the non-biological transmission of cultural traits across generations. It functions as a heuristic for understanding how values, practices, knowledge, and norms persist within a society, independent of genetic inheritance.

Although not tied to a single language or tradition, the word is a neologism formed from common roots related to inheritance and transmission. Its use is informal and varies across disciplines, without a standardized definition or measurement.

In practice, ärvts is invoked to analyze patterns such as language maintenance, ritual continuity, educational norms, and technology adoption that pass through families, schools, media, and institutions. Studies may examine how parental attitudes shape child behavior, how curricula reinforce civic norms, or how online communities propagate memes and practices across generations.

Distinctions from genetic inheritance are central: ärvts emphasizes social learning, environmental influence, and institutional reinforcement rather than biological transmission. Critics warn that the concept can be broad or vague, but supporters argue it helps compare intergenerational processes across domains where biology is less relevant.

See also: cultural transmission, social inheritance, intergenerational transfer, memetics, anthropology of education.