Individual & Society

Community Development

Man is born free, but is everywhere in chains..

Man can not live as man without society.

Aristotle said:
Man is a social animal

How is man a social animal? In what sense society belongs to us ? How do we belong to society?

These questions lead us to final question, that is:

What is the relationship between individuals and society?

Interdependence

Society depends on man Society is formed by man Man depends on society For every emotion, feeling, relationship, trade, man needs society.

Relationship of Individual & Society

The question What is the relation between society and individual is answered by knowing how society was formed. In this perspective we have SOCIAL CONTRACT theory

Social Contract Theory

Social contract theory, nearly as old as philosophy itself, is the view that persons moral and/or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they live.

All man are free and equal. Individual precedes society. Society came into existence due to an implicit agreement entered into by the individual.

Hobbes, Locke, Jacques worked on the theories on formation of society in different ways.

a) Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

Self protection was the basic reason due to which society was formed. Man always has conflicts with his neighborhoods. Man is selfish in nature, and wants good for himself. Man is self-seeking, cunning, egoistic, tyranny, and aggressive.

Hobbes said: The life of man was solitary poor, nasty, brutal, and short.

Man found nothing but grief in the company of his fellows. Every man was an enemy to other man. Men were like hungry wolves, each ready to pounce on the other with all his ferocities.

In order to reduce these intolerable conditions, and for peace, people entered into a kind of social contract to ensure for themselves security and certainty of life.

By mutual agreement man decided to surrender their natural rights into the hands of few or one with authority or command.

b) John Locke (1632 - 1704)

Man was enjoying ideal liberty. Man was free from all rules and regulations. Nature was in state of peace, goodwill, and mutual assistance.

Due to lack of rules and regulations, and no recognized system of law and justice the degenerate men tried to upset the peaceful environment with their corruption. Man was forced to face such ill conditions.

In order to get secured from these ill conditions, man made social contracts to enter into civil society.
Social contract is surrender of certain rights in order to preserve and protect other rights.

c) Jean Jacques (1712-1778)

Man was a noble savage. This noble savage was living a life of primitive simplicity and peaceful happiness. Primitive man was independent, contented, self-sufficient, fearless and good.

It was primitive instinct, love and sympathy which united man in society.

Emergence of Civil Society

When equality and happiness was lost; wars, murders, conflicts became order of the day, then civil society was formulated. In civil society, multitude of individuals becomes a unity.

Rousseau says: Civil society was formed on the basis of general will. Individuals in civil society surrender himself completely and unconditionally to the will of the body of which he becomes a member.

Plato compared society and individuals as a biological system, as an organism. This concept led us to find the relationship between individuals and societies through ORGANISMIC THEORY.

The animal body is composed of cells and the society is composed of individuals. The relation of hand to a body, or a leaf to a tree is the relation of a human to society. Man lives in society, and society lives in man.

Plato compared society to a magnified human being. He divided society into 3 classes

Rulers Warriors Artisans

Wisdom Courage Desire

Aristotle also compared the symmetry of body and symmetry of society.

Herbert Spencer
Society is an organism and does not differ from a biological mechanism. Both exhibits same process of development.

Both start moving from a basic structure, and when are developed, transform in a complex structure. Eg. Lower type of organisms only have digestive system or respiratory system and lower level of society had only warriors and fighters. When they transform, they have other systems, like transportation system, and in

Spencer further says: Humans in society are just like a human body parts, if one malfunctions, others are affected. If one is paralyzed, others cant function properly. The societies and organisms are subject to wear and tear, and then replacement.

Spencers structural analogies An organism and society has 3 systems Sustaining system
Mouth, stomach intestine Agricultural, manufacturing individuals or units

Distributary system
Heart, blood vessels, arteries, veins Wholesalers, retailers, bankers

Regulating system
Nerve motor mechanism Lawyers, priests, doctors

Resemblance between society and organism

Society as well as individual organism grow in size. They grow from a simple structure to a complex one. As complexity is increased, the dependence over other parts become mandatory. The life of a whole becomes independent and lasts longer than the component parts.

Man is in society and society is in man. Society is an engine and we, individuals are the parts of that engine to run.