We explain what society is, its origin, characteristics and relationship with culture and the State. Also, human and animal societies.
What is society?
“Society” is a broad term, which means a set of individuals who live together under common rules. Under this definition, the first one offered by the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, both a country, a town or a community, as well as a honeycomb or a business organization, can constitute examples of companies.
The term society comes from Latin societiesderived from voice sociuswhich translates “ally” or “companion.” That is to say, that The central feature in the idea of society has to do with cooperation that is, with being on the same side.
This does not mean that a perfect order reigns in societies, or that they are utopian communities, far from it. Human society, for example, is a constant source of struggles and tensions between the elements that wish to shape or order it.
On the other hand, the term society also has much more specific uses, especially in the legal, political or business field, such as:
- civil society. Term that refers to the total citizenry of a country, considered as a set of actors independent of the State.
- Public limited company. Also called “anonymous company”, it is a form of business organization made up of shares, in which the latter represent capital.
- marital partnership. Legal figure that is established through marriage and that manages the assets and capital of the couple.
- Cooperative society. Form of organization of producers, merchants or consumers, which are governed by criteria of common utility to all.
- See also: Social relations
Origin of the company
Society has existed in practice since the emergence of the most complex life. To the extent that some individuals sought protection and stability in living together, they formed swarms, colonies or other forms of organization, some very primitive and others more socially developed.
In the case of human society, it has existed since the beginning of our species although initially it was formed more horizontally and focused on the survival of minimal family or interfamily units, such as tribes. As time passed, They became larger and more complex. developing new modes of organization, production and exchange.
Characteristics of the companies
In general terms, the characteristics of the companies are:
- They are made up of a variable number of individuals, who show a minimum degree of communication and organization.
- They often have hierarchies, that is, internal orders that consist of the distribution of tasks and that assign some individuals central places above others.
- They are oriented towards production and growth, through the satisfaction of the needs common to all individuals.
- They also seek to sustain the processes and mechanisms that guarantee their perpetuity over time, that is, their reproduction. This does not mean that they remain unchanged, but quite the opposite: they change over time.
animal societies
Animal societies are understood to be those that involve non-human individuals. They are composed according to various modes of organization.
Generally tend towards mutual defense from predators, shared feeding and organization of reproduction. However, unlike human societies, there is no culture in any of them.
Examples of animal societies are:
- Bee hives, anthills and termite nests.
- The underground nests of moles.
- Packs of lions, wolves and other group predators.
- Chimpanzee communities.
human society
Human society is the way in which humans have organized themselves to jointly undertake the satisfaction of our needs. Unlike animal societies, ours They usually have very high levels of organization and complexity, and are accompanied by their own culture. which often allows the identification of individuals belonging to a society.
human society emerged as a form of tribal community which shared its resources and sought protection from the elements and possible predators. But thanks to language and cultural and technological development, what were initially tribes or human hordes, managed to integrate and radically modify their ways of life.
members of the society They were linked through a common culture based on founding stories and a sense of belonging. Activities such as the emergence of agriculture also collaborated in their cohesion with each other and with the geography in which they lived.
This path led to the abandonment of the nomadic life of hunter-gatherers. Finally, cities, political hierarchies, nations and religions appeared, as human society promoted the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next.
Society and State
Today it is difficult for us to imagine society without the existence of a State that governs and administers it. Since, although these two concepts refer to different things, it is also true that they are closely linked.
In prehistory, the first societies had no state that is, they had no institutions or permanent powers. They were based on minimal and communal forms of organization, given that the existence of individuals was dedicated entirely to survival.
However, everything That changed with the Neolithic Revolution and the emergence of the first cities, around 6,000 years ago.. It was then that agriculture made it possible to generate enough food for those who worked the land and to sustain those who, from then on, would dedicate themselves to other activities: research and education, practicing religion or, also, managing.
Once sedentary life was assumed, military defense and production administration became social needs. This is how the first States were born, generally monarchical and religious. in which a military and/or religious elite governed the social base of agricultural workers and artisans.
Later, new forms of organization emerged thanks to major technological changes that allowed new forms of production, and the State changed along with societies. Already Currently, there are practically no societies without a State.
Culture in society
Normally, We refer to “culture” as the set of ways of life and expression of a society. which are inherited to new generations as traditions.
Culture encompasses religious forms, founding stories, rituals, celebrations and folklore, social identity, moral values, language and artistic expression, among other elements that, as a whole, characterize and single out a society. In fact, no human society is the same as another, thanks to the cultural complexity typical of our species.
References
- “Society” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Human societies and animal societies” (video) on Canal UNED.
- “Society” at CONICET Mendoza (Argentina).
- “Culture and society” (video) on Khan Academy.
- “What is society?” (video) at Kids Academy.
