How did Matthew Arnold define culture in Culture and Anarchy?

In his seminal work Culture and Anarchy, the British critic Matthew Arnold defines culture as "the study of perfection."12

Arnold presents culture as a vital counterpoint to "anarchy," which he identified as the prevailing mood of the emerging democracy in Victorian England—a state characterized by a lack of standards and a clear sense of direction. By "turning a stream of fresh thought upon our stock notions and habits," Arnold argued that culture seeks to make "reason and the will of God prevail."12

To achieve this, he emphasized the importance of fostering an awakened intelligence that seeks to see things as they really are. He famously categorized English society into three groups—the Barbarians, the Philistines, and the Populace—and argued that the nation’s "best self" could be realized through the state rather than through the interests of any single class. Ultimately, his vision of culture was a pursuit of humanization and intellectual growth intended to overcome the provinciality and complacency of his time.12