What is culture and what is it for? Beyond simplistic and inveterate definitions that make it either the mere intellectual and artistic product of the elite, or the manifestation of humanity in an anthropological sense, this illuminating essay focuses on the collective dimension of cultural phenomena, that is, in the social relevance that, regardless of personal considerations, involves us all, because what is the point if it does not help us think and make a better world possible? Through a dialogue with the main reference works on the subject, Monegal interprets culture as an intrinsically political activity and inseparable from our place and our intervention in the world, but above all as a common good of primary necessity to face the challenges of existence. .