A lot of people talk about 'society', but what exactly is it? To me it would probably be a gathering of people voluntarily looking after each other and the group as a whole.
What is your definition/understanding of what society is?
Please refer to Bertrand Russell's essay "Human Nature and Social Cohesion" also refer to the works of Plato, John Locke and Thomas Hobbe's Leviathan. The notion of a society and governing state is explained in these works.
Very interesting question! Certain words are known by definition. To know the definition is to know the meaning of the word. A batchelor is a good example; it is an unmarried man and nothing else.
But we are not alway strictly logical, we include other background knowledge and context to assign meaning. Your question is a good example. Our minds deduce you don't mean the Quakers (society of friends), a building society or David Cameron's Big society, but rather the more generic idea of some kind of group and the relations that perhaps make them into a society. We merge that with our own ideas of what it might be to formulate a response
For me, the idea is linked to our nature. We are innate social beings, meaning we generally (almost exculsively) live in community, and the notion of society includes how we do that in all manner of ways; the physical, legal, financial, emotional,moral and relational senses, and any other ways we relate to each other.
For me, the idea is linked to our nature. We are innate social beings, meaning we generally (almost exculsively) live in community, and the notion of society includes how we do that in all manner of ways; the physical, legal, financial, emotional,moral and relational senses, and any other ways we relate to each other.
This makes sense. We are indeed social beings. But where does our society begin and end? In our neighbourhood? Our town? Our county? Our country? Europe?
Society is such a huge, all-encompasing concept. In fact, it may be so huge as to be meaningless.
I realise, ccbkd, that there are many many works out there on what society actually is. I was just wondering what it is to the people who post on AAM.
This makes sense. We are indeed social beings. But where does our society begin and end? In our neighbourhood? Our town? Our county? Our country? Europe?
Society is such a huge, all-encompasing concept. In fact, it may be so huge as to be meaningless.
Well, Post-Modernist theory would probably say that the notion of society is a contruct. But I'm not sure it can be labelled meaningless, which is to say it is a word without content, and empty like "sljf;aljk;" which really is meaningless, tho it just might be another of the many words for snow in Innuit!
You could probalby say that the word has a multiplicity of meanings that are context -dependent. You could say it exists in an expansive or reductive idea, village, town, state, etc. Facebook, the social network, and the internet has created new ways people relate. Are they societies? Yes, if you base the idea of society on relationships, no if you assume a geographical bent.
The linguist Saussure, said that we define words by what they are not. Thus a cat is a cat, because it's not a mat or a bat or a rat.He also says that all signs(words & other symbols) are arbitary; the meaning is agreed within society itself; so 1 Euro is 1 Euro because we say it is, we agree it. Perhaps society is the same?