MAN THE SOCIAL ANIMAL

Introduction:

Man is a social animal and that, he loves to live in society with other human beings, is a general conception about his basic behavioural pattern. Almost all sociological thinkers agree that there is a very close relation between the individual and the society. Whether any particular individual could have been nurtured under conditions in which there did not exist any society is a different question; but the fact remains that without a social environment, be it his home, his community or his state, no stability would be brought to his status as an individual.

One would almost conclude from the foregoing statement that the individual is a product of society. Instantly, other thinkers would raise a hue and cry that the truth is just the contrary, that is, the society is the product of an individual and another.

Philosophical Perspectives:

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. -Dalai Lama

Man is, at one and the same time, a solitary being and a social being. As a solitary being, he attempts to protect his own existence and that of those who are closest to him, to satisfy his personal desires, and to develop his innate abilities. As a social being, he seeks to gain the recognition and affection of his fellow human beings, to share in their pleasures, to comfort them in their sorrows, and to improve their conditions of life. -Albert Einstein

It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness. -Karl Marx

Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being. Without interrelation with society he cannot realize his oneness with the universe or suppress his egotism. His social interdependence enables him to test his faith and to prove himself on the touchstone of reality.

- Mahatma Gandhi

People are social beings and want interaction and social learning is the primary form of learning, just as word of mouth advertising is the highest form of advertising. -Stephen Covey

"Be The Peace You Wish To See In The World!" ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

"We cannot think of ourselves save as to some extent social being. Hence, we cannot separate the idea of ourselves and our own good from our idea of others and their good." ~ John Dewey

"Just as man as a social being, cannot in the long run exist without a tie to the community, so the individual will never find the real justification for his existence, and his own spiritual and moral autonomy, anywhere except in an extramundane principle capable of relativizing the overpowering influence of external factors." ~ Carl Jung

Aristotle the legendary Greek philosopher said, “Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual.”

Man cannot live alone. He must satisfy certain natural basic needs in order to survive. He has to enter into relationships with his fellowmen for living a life. No man can break the shackles of mutual dependence. This begins perhaps between the embryo and the mother and continues till his last breath. The need of the embryo may be more physical than mental, but the mother's need is the other way round.

(1)According to Aristotle, man is a social animal and must satisfy certain natural basic needs in order to survive. He must eat, drink, excrete, sleep, maintain adequate health and procreate. These needs constitute the innate nature of man. But Man cannot live alone—he must enter into relationship with his fellows if he is to develop and maintain adequate mental and physical health. We know that this dependency of man on others is exhibited in the continuum of the life process, with the parent-offspring relationship and with his existence within the womb and during infancy (www.bignerds.com).

(2)The above brief look at man as an individual leads us to examine him as a social being — one who lives in a group, subject to the demands and pressures of modern society. A branch of Philosophy that deals with this concerns is what we call social philosophy.

(3)Social philosophy is the philosophical study of questions about social behavior. Social philosophy addresses a wide range of subjects, from individual meanings to legitimacy of laws, from the social contract to criteria for revolution, from the functions of everyday actions to the effects of science on culture, from changes in human demographics to the collective order of a insect's nest. Social philosophy attempts to understand the patterns, changes and tendencies of societies. It is a wide field with many subdisciplines. And one of it sub-field is Sociology. As define by the Webters’ dictionary, Sociology is the study of human social behavior, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development of human society.

(4)Sociology is composed of two words : ‘socius’, companion or associate; and 'logos', science or study. Thus, the etymological meaning of sociology is the science of society. AUGUSTE COMTE, a Frenchman, is traditionally considered to be the father of sociology. Comte is accredited with the coining of the term sociology in 1839 (sociology-4-all.blogspot.com).

The Development of Human Society

(1)A society is a group of people involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.

(2)Civilizations began from the nomadic (Paleolithic) to the sedentary (Neolithic) stages of man’s social development. They were constituted first by separate clans and tribes composed of kinship and family relations. These clans and tribes eventually bonded to form separate various communities that later elaborated into sophisticated cultures and civilizations.

(3)Tribal wars and conquest ensured and, therefore, played a major role in the development of the society. The society became the end-product of various factors such as biological, cultural, social and arm struggle. No particular factor can explain the existence of human societies and so, society may have developed over a long history of social evolution.

(4)The society is, in many aspects, an extension of its smaller unit which is the family. The family, the clan and the tribe, were designed to ensure the survival, security and the well-being of their members. Societies may differ from one another in many ways, but they all have a common characteristics: a generally constant relationship between economics resources and basic human needs, and various patterns of cleavage and consensus that reflect in part the society’s characteristics.

The evolution of civilization can be best understood through the different societies that people developed throughout the history of the society. Firstly, the Preindustrial societies which is the simplest and earliest which characterized by hunting and gathering resources from the surroundings. It also includes the Agricultural Societies which are engaged primarily in agricultural activities, such as farming, fishing, and herds raising, as primary source of life. This societies were usually nomadic and uses tools that are ordinary. Examples of this are the some tribes in Africa and Latin America. Secondly, are the Industrial Societies, which uses science and advanced technology to produce goods and services. Division of labor are highly specialized. Lastly, the Post-industrial Societies which scientific highly advanced technologies are utilized, sometimes this is also called as Modern Societies which are specifically characterized by advance industries, modern facilities, advances communication and transportation. Post-industrial also introduces the virtual societies that are composed of people engaged in various social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the like, by using a computer.

PLATO’S REPUBLIC

(1)In his most famous book “The Republic,” Philosopher Plato presented to us his theory of an ideal society. As far as the society is concerned, Plato’s laid his standards for an ideal society ruled by philosopher-kings assisted by equally and intellectually gifted “guardians.” Plato finds the origin of the society in the various needs of people. Nobody is self-sufficient. So, to meet the various needs men created the political institution. He then divided the society in three social classes, namely: The Producing Class which includes the farmers, merchants, and laborers/workers; the Guardian Class which includes the soldiers and police force; and the Ruling Class which includes Philosophers-thinkers, Rulers and Kings that is selected to lead the entire society,

(2)Plato believes that if the individuals belonging to the three classes in a society perform their functions most efficiently and sincerely a society will evolve in which there were no class struggle and the ideal of competition will have no place. In this type of society the citizens will be non-selfish and peace will grow.

ARISTOTLE: “Man as a social animal”

(1)ARISTOTLE: Like his master Plato, Aristotle too believed in the natural origin of the society as opposed to the conventional origin. He believed that the society "exists not for life only but for good life". Aristotle, the Greek philosopher writes "Man is a social animal. He who lives without society is either a beast or God". Thus, man is by nature a social animal. He is born in society lives in society and dies in society. Society is indispensable for man. Man cannot live as man, without society. Isolation from society is regarded as a punishment. Solitary life is unbearable for him. Social life is necessary for man. The instinct for some form of social life is innate in human being. (http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/183896-man-is-by-nature-a-social-animal-an-individual.)

(2)He furtherly stated in his work Politics that man is self-sufficient and that those who are unable to live in society and have no needs in life must be either a “beasts” or “gods.” For Aristotle, the society is a natural thing. He shows how man is impelled by his very nature to form the societies of family, village, and state. Man’s natural end is the good life which is to be found only in the state. Therefore, the state of man is a natural society. “Man is by nature a political animal. And he who by nature and not by mere accident is without a state, is either a bad man or above humanity.” That nature intended man to lead a social life is proven by man’s faculty of speech, which no other animal possesses. Now nature does nothing in vain, from which it follows that men were made to associate with one another.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS:

(1)He teaches that man is naturally a political being and as such seeks to live in the community or society. He goes on to teach that man is basically a political being endowed with speech and intellect, therefore man is also a social being. Aquinas believes that man must live in the community or society for the purpose of a common good and brings people to live together under one ruler.

(2)Accordingly, the society is a natural institution and is willed by God. Though derived from the nature of man, the state and society must exist with the primary purpose for the common good of the people and provide resources for sustaining good life. Furtherly, the state is under the authority of the church since the political sovereignty has its authority from God and the purpose of this authority is to provide the common good of the whole society.

MACHIAVELLIANISM:

A modern philosopher name Nicolo Machiavelli gave his thoughts on society. In his treatise The Prince, he emphasized on the need of absolute monarch. His thoughts known as Machavellianism is the theory and practice of absolute power such as:

Society should be controlled through seizure, maintenance and extension of absolute power by nicely graduated use of fraud, force and sow fear to all people.
To control the society one needs to depart from reliance on morality, including the church.
Use of common enemy as political moves to holding on power and ruthless liquidation of these enemies and all rivals once power is achieved.
The employment for surveillance and terrorist activities which can be later be disowned but instead blame on the enemies.

In summary, for Machiavelli, Society should be ruled absolutely by powerful person and individual members of the society must follow in order to establish an orderly community. Any means, even evil is acceptable as long as it is effective in controlling the society.

THOMAS HOBBES and JOHN LOCKE’S SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY:

(1)The enlightenment, the period from the mid seventeenth century to the end of the eighteenth century, saw a move away from theological or religious based thinking to inquiry founded on scientific reasoning. The enlightenment saw the development of social contract theory of which Hobbes and Locke were the principal exponents. The theory of social contract is essentially a morally justified agreement made amongst individuals through which an organized society is brought into existence. It is used as a means of demonstrating the value of government, the grounds for political obligation and authority over a particular geographical area. The classic form of social contract theory suggests that there is a stateless society from which individual's wish to escape by entering into a social contract. The social contract obliges citizens to respect and obey the state, in exchange for stability and security that only a system of political rule can provide. The social contract theories of Hobbes start from the concept of man in a primitive state without political authority or formal checks on the behavior of individuals. They considered that such a stateless autonomous condition could not prevail if man was to move beyond a primitive existence. This could only be achieved if man could be guided by natural law that would lead them to a developed social and political life. Hobbes and Locke argued that the state had arisen out of a voluntary agreement, or social contract, made by individuals who recognized that only the establishment of sovereign power could safeguard them from the insecurity of the state of nature.