The concept of "society" includes ... The concept and characteristics of society

The basic concepts of society must be known to everyone. After all, we all exist not in isolation, but we are its representatives. We propose to study the meaning of the concept of "society". To begin with, we give a popular definition. A society is an association of people who have a joint fixed territory, a common legislative system, cultural values, rules of conduct, social norms that allow to create in its entirety a socio-cultural identity for its members, that is, a sense of belonging to a single whole.

The concept of "society" in sociology

Today we say the word "society", often without thinking about what it is. Sociology as a science should give this concept a clear definition, since society is the object of its investigation. It should be noted that in this science this concept is usually used in two meanings.

Signs of society by E. Shils

First, the concept of "society" includes such aspects of a specific social education as geographic, historical, political and economic. Society, according to even everyday beliefs, is more than a group or community. Using this concept, we usually mean either its type, historically concrete (modern, feudal, primitive), or a stable and large community of people that coincides in its borders with the state (Russian society), or a set of similar communities that are united by a way of life And values, the same level of technology development (modern Western society). All of the above options are combined as follows: society is an integral system that is localized in strict temporal and spatial boundaries. This concept is applicable to all historical epochs, any by the number of members of the association of people, if it meets certain characteristics. They were formulated by E. Shils. Let's list the signs that the concept of "society" includes.

1. The union is not part of a larger society (system).

2. Marriages are concluded mainly between representatives of this association.

3. Mainly due to the children of people who are already his recognized representatives, there is a replenishment of society.

4. The union has its own territory.

5. It has its own history and its name.

6. It has its own management system.

7. There is such a union longer than the average life expectancy of an individual.

8. A common system of values, otherwise called culture, unites it (these are customs, norms, traditions, customs, rules, laws).

The criteria of society, allocated by domestic sociologists

A number of Russian sociologists believe that the concept of "society" includes the following criteria:

- the existence of a single territory within it, which is the material basis of social ties that arise within its boundaries;

- Comprehensive nature (universality);

- autonomy, that is, the ability to exist independently and independently;

- Integrity, that is, society can reproduce in new generations and support its structures, including new individuals in the context of social life.

Society is a social reality

The second meaning of the concept of "society", socio-philosophical and purely sociological, boils down to another concept - "social reality". In this sense, it is a "social" society, not reducible to the collective activity of people only to the resultant of their individualities. Based on empirical facts, sociology studies communities and groups (nations, classes, genus, family) as collective entities that have features of unity and their appearance. She also studies how such communities share a hierarchical whole - society. The study of groups, structural levels, relationships reveals the existence of a concrete unity, to which every individual feels involved.

Types of society

It is most convenient to describe a society with the help of typologies. They provide the necessary degree of rigor, and an acceptable level of generalization. There are a lot of such typologies.

The type of society is primarily determined by the mode of production, that is, how the means of production and the economic resources that it possesses are controlled and used. For this reason, for example, the communist, socialist, capitalist, feudal and slave-owning societies differ. They are distinguished on the basis of the relationship of individuals to the means of production, above all, property relations. Of paramount importance in this approach is the trend of socialization of means existing in their development. One can also single out an information, post-industrial and industrial society. They differ based on the application of various scientific and technological achievements, new technologies. Of paramount importance in this approach is scientific and technological progress, and he, as Durkheim said in the 19th century, can not go without the growing importance of collective, cooperative labor.

Ideological understanding

The ideological understanding of society is beyond the scope of the above-described socio-philosophical concept. It is endowed with a symbolic meaning. Each ideological paradigm provides a mythologized view from within on a given society; And his ideology is overlaid with ideological images-clichés, mythological meanings. Representation of people about "our society", viewed from within, is analogous in this sense to the idea of the universe. His whole story recalls the "myths about the beginning", the narratives of any people about the event, from which the world began (it is called the "first event"). However, if in primitive societies the myths about the beginning really tell about the beginning of the absolute, then in the epics and legends of the "historical" societies it is a question of the relative, how they re-emerged after the break. An example is the history of American society, which begins with the founding fathers. If we talk about our country, we can take the Soviet society, which began with the October Revolution.

Empirical understanding of society

Society can also be viewed from the point of view of empiricism. In this sense, it is simply the largest social group. That is, the concept of "society" includes all other social groups.

The system definition proposed by R. Koenig

As you can see, viewing angles today are very diverse. The basic concepts of society, presented above, focus on one or another of its features, excluding others. Therefore, its systemic definition is optimal. His concept and signs of society suggested scientist R. Koenig. According to the definition of this researcher, society is understood as:

- type of lifestyle;

- Ideological and economic associations based on contracts;

- Specific social cohesion, formed by peoples;

- a set of groups and individuals, that is, an integral society;

- a type of society, historically specific;

- social reality, that is, the relationship of individuals, as well as social processes and structures based on these relationships.

The basic meaning of the concept of "society" and its signs, we determined. Let us now consider some related questions.

Country, state and society

Studying issues such as the concept and structure of society, it is necessary to clearly define the meanings of some words and understand the difference between them. We are talking about such concepts as "country", "state" and "society".

Society is a historical result of the relationship of people, naturally emerging.

The state is an artificial political construct, institution or institution designed to manage such relationships. The concept of society and the state, as you can see, is not the same thing.

Finally, the country as a concept is intermediate between them, because it is simultaneously a society (community of people, naturally formed) and the state (since it has state borders).

The concept of social society and state

Service to society is the main purpose of the state. This should be clearly understood by the authorities. Modern Russian society is striving to build a social state that must perform the following functions:

- to ensure stability and social peace in society, being in the conflict of interests as an arbiter in relations between strata and groups of society, ensuring that a social compromise is achieved;

- Establish a certain order in society and support it in all ways, including coercion;

- to protect from arbitrariness a separate person, to create for all members of society normal living conditions, to care for unprotected and weak groups and strata of the population, that is, it must be social;

- be a force capable of integrating society in a single whole.

More on the social society and the state

The social state should promote social and economic progress. It must also be responsible for the physical and social well-being of its citizens, for their well-being. The construction of such a state will become possible only with the joint effort of various social forces. A certain level of development of society must correspond to it.

The concept of a social society is directly related to the social sphere. The latter includes various social institutions that satisfy the needs of individuals for security, family, means of subsistence, social order, the solution of spiritual problems, and the acquisition of knowledge.

Features of modern society

Modern society is not a single monolithic creation, despite the fact that it is permeated today, as never before, by various connections (cultural, political, economic) that are being strengthened in the process of globalization. World history is the history of the development of civilizations, their change. The concept and structure of society are different at each stage. Each civilization developed according to its own scenario and left a special mark in the history of mankind. However, the difference between them does not mean opposition and opposition. Between forms of civilization, even the most distant from each other, there is a certain similarity, which results from the unity of the fundamental principles of the organization of society. Between the people of the West and the East today, however, there is a gap, which is a characteristic feature of modernity.

At the same time, every society should strive to preserve and increase those features that have developed in it, which correspond to its conditions and contribute to its effective development. Do not forget that they have developed, as a rule, as a result of long experience and enrich modern civilization. Therefore, one should not strive to artificially integrate society.

So, we examined the concept and attributes of society. This topic is fundamental in sociology. It is also held in school at social studies classes. Modern society should think about where it is moving and what it is. Each of us is responsible for his future. After all, man and society are interrelated concepts.