Why can't a person live without society? The influence of society on a person Classes of people in 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.

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.

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I. Fichte in his statement implies the social nature of man, emphasizing the fact that he is intended to live in society. The main idea is that a person becomes a person only by living in society. What is society and what is its significance for the development of man?

Society is a multi-valued concept. One of them says that society is a system isolated from nature, but still dependent on it, which includes humanity as a whole and relationships between different individuals. One of the important functions of society is socialization. This is the process of a person’s assimilation of cultural values ​​and social norms and the assimilation of social roles. Human socialization begins from birth. Its primary agent is the family. It is here that a person first encounters the rules and norms of life in society. As a person grows up, the circle of agents participating in his socialization expands. Thus, a kindergarten, school, university, army, party, labor collective, religious organization, etc. appear. All of them participate in the development of a person, cultivating in him socially significant qualities. What happens if a person exists outside of society?

The clearest example is the so-called “Mowgli children”: it has happened many times in history that human children were raised in the wild by animals. Despite the same biological characteristics as all people, they could not be considered people in the social sense of the word: they lacked articulate speech, they did not know how to communicate and interact with other people, they did not have knowledge, and they did not know how to use even the most ordinary objects. Even if they try to integrate such children into society, it turns out to be practically useless: they cannot master human language, understand the structure of society and their role in it. As a result, they remain much closer to animals. This example illustrates to us how important primary socialization is for an individual. It turns out that a person can only be raised in society. But does society always influence a person positively?

Often, society, with all its positive influence, can also have a negative influence. Social life is full of temptations and vices, and people often refuse it for various reasons. Such people are called hermits: having left society, they seek peace and harmony with the world and themselves, and strive for spiritual purification and development. Religion often plays an important role here. Art often turns to the famous plot - the temptation of St. Anthony. Having left people and living in the desert, he constantly experienced temptations, but was able to successfully overcome them. This required an iron will, a high level of spiritual culture, endurance, and, most importantly, faith, not only humble faith in God, but also in the greatness of one’s own soul. All these qualities are inherent in an outstanding personality. It turns out that to some extent he became even higher than a person, and at the same time a real person. However, his example again proves the connection between man and society, because the culture and civilization in which he was raised was created by humanity. This means that his connection with humanity was not severed or completely lost: in a sense, he continued to be in society.

So, we can conclude that a person can really be called a person only in society. But this is also ambiguous, because the influence of society can be different.