Society as a form of people's life. The human impact on society and society per person

What is society as a form of people's life? At first glance, this question can be answered with a fairly obvious definition. Society is a collection of people, their total mass. However, this explanation is superficial. It does not affect those profound processes that occur within each society. Only after considering this phenomenon in more detail, you can find out the reasons why people generally unite in such circles.

The concept of society

Historically, society as a form of people's livelihood arose at the very moment when the first representatives of the human race began to unite in collectives. Hunters and gatherers began to live together for mutual benefit, to help each other survive in the wild. Gradually began to form patterns, according to which people lived. There were rules and prohibitions. Regulatory norms have made the society a stable system.

This phenomenon has many definitions. Some of them appeared as the fundamental canons of this or that philosophical theory. But, one way or another, any point of view stipulates the functions of society. Such an association is created for adaptation, goal-setting, integration and self-preservation of people. Humanity appeared when it separated from nature and began to live in artificial conditions (settlements, cities, etc.). Therefore, society is also an opposition to the wild state of the human race.

Personality in society

Human society as a form of human life has been studied for several centuries. During this time, several particularly popular points of view about this phenomenon were formed. The so-called "atomistic" theory is widespread. Her founder was Georg Simmel. This scientist believed that society is not just a mass of people, but a combination of their unique actions.

That is, according to this theory, a person is recognized as an individual. It is the personality that engenders society, and not vice versa. This point of view appeared as a synthesis of the ideas of ancient philosophy and the Renaissance, when man was considered the center of the universe. Interactions of people are born from ambition, desires and aspirations. Different motives encourage a person to make contact with his neighbor, co-worker, passer-by, etc. It is from these tiny threads that society is born as a form of people's life activity.

Social Groups

Another theory of the organization of society says that it is not individuals, but social groups that make up it. The founder of this idea was the Polish-American sociologist Florian Znaneski. He and his followers identified the term "society" with the term "humanity". Social groups are formed on a variety of grounds. It can be like-minded people who are trying to implement their venture.

A social group is also built around members of the same profession or class. For example, the bourgeoisie influenced the society of the XIX century, trying to develop in it capitalism and market relations. At the same time, workers created trade unions, defended their rights and defended their interests. These groups had different goals. They confronted each other. But it was the sum of their opposing efforts that gave birth to those foundations of the society on which Europe and the United States began to live in the 20th century.

Signs of society

Society, as a system, has several key features. The first of these is the territory. It is the basis of the entire social space, in the open spaces of which appear and develop various interactions and relationships between people.

The next sign is that society is a huge force that integrates humanity. It creates the conditions for every new generation to be drawn into the society through education and training to norms. The child, and then the teenager is gradually included in the system of human relations. Even if a person tries to avoid society, he will still be connected to him by culture, origin and language.

Autonomy of society

The laws of society are gradually changing. This indicates that the system is self-regulating. If new social ideas emerge and claim to be universal norms, they should be tested for strength.

The course of history itself eliminates the unnecessary and ineffective principles of human relations. The norms of society are flexible - they are adjusted to the changing conjuncture. In the process of the evolution of society, people gain historical experience, which they can then use to improve their own lives.

Dependence of a person on society

Modern life in society is such that the society provides the conditions for self-fulfillment to its various members. This characteristic multifunctionality did not appear immediately. It was born as a result of the centuries-old evolution of society. Today, a resident of every developed country has the opportunity to climb the "social elevator" and realize his dream.

But a person not only gets certain perspectives from life in society. The individual depends on the society. Only within it a person can satisfy his needs and acquire everything necessary for his own comfortable life. The society provides the young person or girl with all the conditions to get education and acquire new skills that will help them in the future. Relations in society are arranged in such a way that the system itself helps its members to achieve the goals set for them.

Development of society

Does every modern society boast of a perfect and effective way of life? Of course, not all countries and nations can pass such a test. Society as a form of people's life is in constant development. This system simply can not be static and stand still, because the people from which it is composed carry out some kind of activity.

However, mankind at different times developed with a completely different speed. There is such a thing as progress. Such a process is characterized by the development forward, the transition from the simple to the complex, the improvement of science, technology, etc. The reverse phenomenon is regression. It consists in the transition from higher to lower, degradation. In general, society has never regressed. For example, scientific inventions, once appearing, have never been forgotten again.

But it can also happen that social development, if not reversed, will at least slow down. A similar process is called stagnation. In particularly acute forms, it leads to a halt in development. For example, European society has stagnated for several centuries in the era of the Dark Ages after the collapse of the Roman Empire.

Ways of social progress

The development of society depends only on people themselves. The French philosopher and scientist Jean-Antoine Condorcet believed that the main criterion of progress was the building up of knowledge. Today this view remains the most popular and widespread. On the other hand, we can not fail to mention the moral criteria of progress, advocated by Utopian socialists. Such a theory assumed that people as a result should have been organized on the basis of fraternal relations of people to each other. In socialist doctrine, this state of society was called communism, a point at which humanity was to strive.

The German philosopher Schelling in his works proved the theory that the main factor of social progress is not the development of science, but the improvement of the legal system. Hegel emphasized the existence of freedom. Only society, freed from slavery and class prejudices, can move forward - thought the famous thinker. In the twentieth century, the development of the society was associated primarily with industrialization and modernization of production.

Modern sociological theories focus primarily on humanistic ideals. If people have an average life expectancy, health will improve and education improve, then society will also become more productive and happier.

Sharp and gradual changes

If people are unhappy with the state of society, then inevitably there is a danger of revolution. This term refers to a sharp change in social reference points and norms. As a rule, society and people in it develop gradually, that is, in an evolutionary way. Sharp jumps caused by popular discontent can appear only in the presence of deep contradictions in the society.

To avoid revolutions and bloodshed, the society must carry out reforms on time. Reorganizations and transformations are factors of painless and effective development of mankind. If people go that way, they do not have to destroy the whole basis of the social structure of their society.

Gradual development is sometimes referred to as "modernization". It is also associated with progress in science and technology. Today, the development of both society as a whole and its constituent people in particular depends particularly on them. With the help of innovations, mankind raises the level of its life and makes the society happier.