society
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| society [2016/06/14 23:55] – [Is social theory necessary pessimistic?] Ryan Schram (admin) | society [2021/07/08 22:42] (current) – [Is social theory necessarily pessimistic?] Ryan Schram (admin) | ||
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| - | # Society | + | # Society |
| A key concept scholars use to understand human life is that of **society**. It is a very broad, fuzzy concept in some ways. Many times people use it descriptively rather than with one rigourously defined meaning. Still, when scholars seek to answer a question about patterns of behavior in **social** terms, they do have a specific sense of **society**. It is good to ask yourself, "OK, what does this scholar think a society is? What is their theory of society, and how does this inform how they see what people do?" | A key concept scholars use to understand human life is that of **society**. It is a very broad, fuzzy concept in some ways. Many times people use it descriptively rather than with one rigourously defined meaning. Still, when scholars seek to answer a question about patterns of behavior in **social** terms, they do have a specific sense of **society**. It is good to ask yourself, "OK, what does this scholar think a society is? What is their theory of society, and how does this inform how they see what people do?" | ||
| Although scholars differ on how they conceptualize society, there is a key way in which social scientists' | Although scholars differ on how they conceptualize society, there is a key way in which social scientists' | ||
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| + | * **A society is like a machine.** it has many specialized parts. Each part of the machine fits together with other parts, like gears in a clock, to make the whole machine work. Put another way, **a social system is also like a living organism.** It can also be explained as a system of organs that all depend on each other. But an organism is also more than the sum of its parts. | ||
| * A society is **__not__ like a building**. This is a mistaken way to think about society. A building has a structure of walls and floors that divide up space. People in the building can only move around in certain ways. To go from one room to another, they have to go through a door. To go from one floor to another, they have to climb stairs. So, a building constrains the movement of people inside it. A society does often feel like this to people inside it, so I think that's why it is common to conceptualize society as being simply a rigid, fixed structure that limits what individuals do. | * A society is **__not__ like a building**. This is a mistaken way to think about society. A building has a structure of walls and floors that divide up space. People in the building can only move around in certain ways. To go from one room to another, they have to go through a door. To go from one floor to another, they have to climb stairs. So, a building constrains the movement of people inside it. A society does often feel like this to people inside it, so I think that's why it is common to conceptualize society as being simply a rigid, fixed structure that limits what individuals do. | ||
| - | * **A society is more like a machine.** it has many specialized parts. Each part of the machine fits together with other parts, like gears in a clock to make the whole machine work. Put another way, **a social system is also like a living organism.** It can also be explained as a system of organs that all depend on each other. But an organism is also more than the sum of its parts. | + | * //But here's the tricky part...// One of the specialized elements of a social system is its " |
| - | // | + | I think many people assume that society |
| - | There is an appealing aspect of thinking of society like a building. At least with that metaphor, you can imagine how an individuals relates to the social whole. In the building metaphor, individual live inside the building. It might limit how the act, but the building-society gives them shelter. Again, it is easy to think this way, because this is really what it feels like to be a member of society. But it's not the whole story. | + | Human beings are mortal, but societies are immortal. A society continues to function even as old people die and new people are born to take their place. Even as a society grows and changes over time, there' |
| In other words, societies are systems. They are made up of parts, and all the parts are connected to form one whole. The parts depend on each other. Social analysis means looking at one thing, one type of behavior or idea in a society, and placing it in a larger social contexts. That means seeing it as a part of a larger whole. | In other words, societies are systems. They are made up of parts, and all the parts are connected to form one whole. The parts depend on each other. Social analysis means looking at one thing, one type of behavior or idea in a society, and placing it in a larger social contexts. That means seeing it as a part of a larger whole. | ||
| - | ## Is social theory | + | ## Is social theory |
| If you think about it, the main message of the machine metaphor of society is that one individual cannot make a difference. Individuals, | If you think about it, the main message of the machine metaphor of society is that one individual cannot make a difference. Individuals, | ||
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| I however choose to embrace a positive side I see in the machine metaphor. I as an individual may not have a big effect on society as a whole, but social systems have powers of their own. Social movements are social systems too. People can change the world not just by cooperating, | I however choose to embrace a positive side I see in the machine metaphor. I as an individual may not have a big effect on society as a whole, but social systems have powers of their own. Social movements are social systems too. People can change the world not just by cooperating, | ||
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society.1465973721.txt.gz · Last modified: 2016/06/14 23:55 by Ryan Schram (admin)