Society imposes certain norms of behavior on a person, since a community of people implies unity according to some characteristics, otherwise its parts will not be able to interact. For this reason, a person is always dependent on the team. If he is freed from this dependence, he drops out of society forever.
This is the example of Larra, the hero of Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil.” Society rejects Larra for killing the elder's daughter. She refused him love, but he took revenge on the proud beauty. The tribe admonished him at the council; people wanted to show him that this should not be done. However, the proud man listened coldly to their speeches and was in no hurry to repent. Then the community decided to expel the dangerous young man from its ranks. Larra was doomed to lonely wanderings, and God also endowed him with immortality. Only then did he learn the price of permissiveness and human contempt. As you can see, it is impossible to remain in society if you have disobeyed and violated its laws. People could no longer live side by side with the hero because they were afraid of him. Transgressing prohibitions, he became dangerous for all his relatives; no one trusted him anymore. It is not surprising that freedom from the tribe led Larra to exile.
The problem of a person finding his place in the social structure was also touched upon in B. Pasternak’s novel “Doctor Zhivago”. There, a person also could not free himself from society, being part of it. Boris Zhivago cannot accept the changed order in Russia during the revolution and the Civil War. He falls in love with Lara Antipova, who also wants to break away from the violence and troubles that have befallen the country and her family. They realize that it is impossible to escape from war and harsh reality with impunity, so they decide to take the risk and die. In their opinion, this is better than being involved in terrible events that entail violence and bloodshed. Boris Zhivago is an example of a person who did not survive the new social order, for whom it was easier to leave them and create, at least for a short time, his own personal happy world, albeit divorced from the important social problems of that time. The hero became free only when he left for Yuryatin, escaping from society.
Thus, it is impossible to live in society and be free from it, as the great revolutionary Lenin said. I think so too, because violating social dogmas promises inevitable expulsion, because society is united due to the fact that people respect the rules and norms that are binding on everyone. If a person despises them, he has no place in the team.
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Remember the hero of the popular book Robinson Crusoe. Thrown into the uninhabited as a result, he is completely alone for many years. True, without needing anything, because in a tropical climate it was possible to do without warm clothing, and we also managed to get a lot of useful, necessary things from the ship. In addition, Robinson obtained food without much difficulty, since there were goats on the island and tropical fruits and grapes grew in abundance. So, compared to his drowned comrades, he could feel like the darling of fate. Nevertheless, Robinson experienced a burning, painful melancholy. After all, he was alone. All his thoughts, all his desires were directed towards one thing: to return to people. What was Robinson missing? No one “stands over your soul”, no one points out what or restricts your freedom. But he lacked the most important thing - communication. After all, the entire history of human civilization testifies that only together, helping each other, people achieved success and overcame difficulties. It is no coincidence that the most terrible punishment among Stone Age people was considered expulsion from the clan or tribe. Such a person was simply doomed. Sharing of responsibilities and mutual assistance are the two main foundations on which the well-being of any human society is based: from the family to the state. Not a single person, even one with colossal physical strength and the sharpest, deepest mind, can do as much as a group of people. Simply because he has no one to rely on, no one to consult with, no one to outline a work plan, no one to ask for help. There is no one to give instructions and no one to control, finally, if he is a clear leader by nature. The feeling of loneliness will sooner or later lead to depression, and it can take the most severe forms. The same Robinson, in order not to go crazy from despair and melancholy, was forced to take a number of measures: he regularly kept a diary, made notches on his primitive “calendar” - a pillar dug into the ground, talked out loud with a dog, cats and a parrot. There are situations when when even the most proud and independent person simply needs help. For example, in case of a serious illness. What if there is no one nearby, and no one to even turn to? This could end very sadly. Finally, no self-respecting person can live without purpose. He needs to set some goals for himself and achieve them. But - such is the peculiarity of the human psyche - what is the use of achieving a goal if no one sees or appreciates it? What will all the effort be for? So it turns out that a person cannot do without society.
Society is a given entity that we do not choose, do not create and cannot control, but it controls us and, to one degree or another, controls us. in society - what is this?" - you ask. This article offers the answer to the question. You will be asked to understand this complex issue, understand for yourself why it happens this way and not otherwise, and whether we can change anything.
Social structure
Each of the aspects of society (socio-economic, cultural, institutional and human nature) is itself a complex entity formed by the combination and interdependence of simpler components. The socio-economic order is formed through a combination of labor and personal activity. The institutional aspect includes public and private organizations. Culture is a combination of knowledge and technology, worldview and values. Human nature is also formed from the interaction of hereditary nature and its development in a particular individual. The characteristic of a person in society is therefore called the special term “individuality”.
Like everyone else, society is irreducible. This complex whole cannot be reduced to any one aspect; the characteristics of a person in a society do not characterize this society as a whole. Any explanation of society in terms of one aspect, be it culture, human nature, power struggles or various institutions, is incomplete. It, like all complex systems, must be considered as an interaction of various scales, forming a single and irreducible whole.
And, as in other similar systems, its constituent parts do not exist separately, in isolation, but must be considered in their relationship with the rest of the whole.
Hierarchical structure
A fundamental aspect of human social organization is its All forms of social organization, from hunter-gatherer societies to highly developed civilizations, are characterized by unequal distribution of power and hierarchy. Not all hierarchies are the same. Some have pronounced centralized power and class divisions. Others, such as hunter-gatherer societies, are less vertical, more democratic, and may not even have permanent leaders. But they all have something in common: the distribution of power in them is always uneven. There is always a dominant sector, it can be men, leaders, clans, healers, etc.
The biological reason for the existence of hierarchy lies in our competitive nature. Competition is one of the many aspects of human nature. Moreover, many of its aspects also conflict and compete with each other. For example, by nature we strive not only for competition, but also for communication. That is, by nature we must be connected and related to others and at the same time compete with them. Human competition forces us to organize ourselves into structures with unequal distribution of power. Hierarchy is then an inevitable aspect of social organization.
Function of society
Unlike organisms or colonies whose behavior corresponds to a function, society as a whole does not have any specific role.
However, although it is not necessary, in some cases social systems have a function that is mainly determined by the political structure of the system. Social systems with a hierarchical structure work to benefit those at the top of the hierarchy at the expense of those below.
The idea that society exists for the benefit of each individual is wrong. The social system can work both for the benefit and harm of a person. How it will work in a particular case depends on random and arbitrary historical events. Attempts by individuals to control or design a system tend to produce unintended and often undesirable consequences.
Is it possible to objectively compare different societies?
Contrary to relativistic beliefs, systems can be assessed objectively and compared in terms of the benefits they provide to individuals. As mentioned earlier, systems do not have any function, so they can work both for the benefit and harm of a person. From this point of view, some of them are good. Others are bad. Some systems are better than others.
A good system is one that promotes the welfare of all. The bad one brings harm to people or promotes the well-being of some at the expense of others, because the characteristics of a person in the society of other people always presuppose this division.
How can we change society?
What are the characteristics of a person in society? The answer to this question is not so easy to give. We began this article by saying that we do not choose, do not create and cannot control society, but it controls the life of each of us. Does this mean that it is an independent system that controls people and is not subject to their control? Is it possible to change the society in which we live?
The topic “man and society” has always attracted the attention of politicians and sociologists. As the saying goes, social systems are “not set in stone.” There's no reason people can't change them. We must be able to choose a social system that will work for the benefit of people. The characteristics of a person in society is a topic that concerns each of us.
However, for a number of reasons this is not so easy to implement. First, individuals cannot change the system on their own. Only collective action can lead to changes in it. And collective action is difficult to organize because it tends to be about being part of the system rather than rebelling against it. Second, those who benefit the least from the system and have the most reasons to want to change it have the least power in the system.
To what extent should a person be responsible for society?
In general, there is very little human responsibility. After all, if we often have a very vague understanding of our own nature, and the ability to control it is very limited, what can we say about such a complex topic as society in human life? However, despite the limited responsibility that individuals have, responsibility for it still exists.
Characteristics of a person in society in terms of the degree of responsibility
It is those of us at the top of the hierarchy who bear the greatest responsibility. They tend to have higher levels of education, health, opportunity, resources and power to effect change. But at the same time, they are the least likely to improve the system. This is because they stand to gain the most from it and will therefore resist change and will not support changes that harm their interests. In addition, the way of thinking of such people, as a rule, lacks the necessary critical and analytical potential. The higher a person climbs in the hierarchy, the more he tends to conform to the system in order to protect his power.
The lower a person is at the level of the hierarchy, the lower a person’s role in society, the less responsibility he has, since he usually has a low level of education, health, material resources, and lacks the ability and power to make changes. In addition, such people are often manipulated and controlled by those who are higher. They are forced to take care first of all of their fundamental and immediate needs. The topic “man and society” seems to be inaccessible to them.
The middle strata of society bear almost as much responsibility as those at the top of the hierarchy. The degree of this responsibility is inversely proportional to its verticality, as is the role of a person in society. In order to maintain their power, the top of society will try to keep the middle strata happy (and in lower hierarchies, they will try to take care of the lower strata). Therefore, the middle strata also benefit from the existing system with its capabilities, resources and unlimited power, and therefore share responsibility with the top of society. Unlike the latter, who are not capable of changing the system, the middle layers have the capabilities and resources to do this. However, in their struggle for power, they tend to conform to the system and act in the interests of those at the top, ensuring the legitimacy of the system. The characteristics of a person in society are something that is largely on their conscience.
Ignorance is no excuse
Ignorance and lack of understanding do not relieve the upper and middle strata of society from responsibility. Unlike the lower strata, they have the capabilities and resources to understand the system and influence it. If the system is bad, then by adapting to it they contribute to maintaining its bad condition. Despite the collective consciousness to rationalize, justify or ignore the harms of the system, individuals still remain responsible for this state of affairs. Society plays an important role in human life, and we all bear responsibility for it.
In unequal societies, the system is usually challenged not by those from the upper or lower strata of society, but by those minorities in the middle who decide to defend freedom, justice, equality and the interests of those below, future generations, and the environment. Although most representatives of the middle strata of society, as a rule, quickly adapt to the system, those who are decisive for it are those who do not identify themselves with it, cannot come to terms with it, and who have enough education, material resources and strength to challenge her.
Revolutionary changes brought about by such people often lead to the replacement of one type of hierarchy with another (which in some cases turns out to be even worse). On the other hand, sustainable improvement of the system occurs when these people come onto the scene and participate in the process of social development.
Man is a social being and only in society can he realize himself. A person’s life in itself is social, because he has to constantly interact with people both at home and at work. Actually, when he lives and develops in a social environment, and social factors play a huge role in his development.
What makes a person a social being?
Man emerged from the animal world thanks to the main social factors - work and collective activity, communication, speech and thinking, as well as morality. But it was labor that played the main role in the development of man. Collective work led to close relationships between team members, and then to group interaction, including concern for others. All this created a need for communication; speech appeared, which contributed to the development of thinking. And thinking made it possible to enrich speech with new words. Thanks to language, accumulated experience was passed on from generation to generation, multiplying and preserving human knowledge.
A person initially possesses specific human qualities, but it is society that completely introduces him into this world, filling his behavior with social content. As a result of active language acquisition, upbringing, training, and mastering cultural values throughout life, conscious mental phenomena are formed.
Only a person is characterized by social characteristics that he owes to society:
- tool production activity,
- consciousness and ability to think,
- social needs (communication, friendship, affection, love),
- (morality, religion, art),
- creativity, creation,
- social and political activities,
- activities that allow us to transform the world around us,
- practical understanding of one’s activities.
The acquisition of social qualities by a person is carried out in the process socialization. This means that the traits inherent in a particular personality are the result of mastering cultural values characteristic of a particular society, and at the same time the embodiment of the internal capabilities of the individual.
Man is inseparable from society, and society itself is what the people who form it are. Society acts as an expression, design and consolidation of the inner human essence, the way of its life. A person exists as a person solely thanks to society, in it he is formed and through his activities shapes the society in which he lives.
When a person mastered the culture of making tools, arranging homes and reproducing food, he began to depend on upbringing and social conditions. Actually, the formation of inherent human qualities outside human society has become impossible.
Thanks to upbringing, traditions, technical, scientific and cultural information, a person is enriched by the experience of many people who lived before him. This is how a special form of connection arises between generations - continuity, as a result of which the experience accumulated over a specific human life does not disappear along with the person, but joins the universal culture.
The value of a person for society is determined by his socially significant qualities, which together characterize him as a person, but one can only become a person in society. An example of the fact that a person as an individual cannot exist outside of human society is children - Mowgli. Having ended up in animal communities for several years for various reasons, they returned to people, but it took them years to adapt to this social environment.
"Man is created to live in society." This is a statement by the French philosopher Denis Diderot. Diderot raises a very pressing problem, the problem of human life in society. The author argues that a person is born and then develops in society, that is, society is an integral part of human life. Man develops in society and is formed by society; it is impossible to live outside society, in isolation.
Man is the highest stage of development of living organisms on Earth. Man is essentially a biosocial being: he is part of nature and at the same time inextricably linked with society. Society is a part of the world separated from nature, but closely connected with it, which includes ways of interaction between people and forms of their unification. The functions of society include: production of material goods, spiritual production, redistribution of products of activity. Society forms social relations.
Social relations are the diverse connections that arise between social groups, nations, economic, social, political, cultural life and activities.
I will give an example of a blatant case when a person lives outside of civilization and is not brought up in society - these are Mowgli children, in other words, feral people. Mowgli syndrome has affected many countries, and Russia is no exception. In 2008, a boy of about six was found in Volgograd. He couldn't speak, but chirped instead. He did this because he was raised by parrots. Naturally, when they found him and wanted to adapt him to life in society, this did not work out; he is still in a rehabilitation center.
In Goncharov's work "Oblomov", the main character, Oblomov, spent all his time at home, without going anywhere. Therefore, after reading this work, one can come to the conclusion that he is spiritually empty, he has only biological needs, and he does not need social ones, as he himself thinks.
From all that has been said, I can conclude that a person cannot live outside of society. A person develops and is formed in society, otherwise his soul simply dies, and in some cases, he may even lose his human habits.
Updated: 2018-03-21
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