What is
society?
(Top)
“A
society or a human society is (1) a group of people related to each
other through persistent relations. (2) A large social grouping that
shares the same geographical territory, subject to the same political
authority and dominant cultural expectations.
The term society came
from the Latin
word societas, which in turn was derived from the noun socius
("comrade, friend, ally"; adjectival form socialis) thus used to
describe a bond or interaction among parties that are friendly, or at
least civil. Human societies are characterized by patterns of
relationships (social relations) between individuals sharing a
distinctive culture and institutions; a given society may be described
as the sum total of such relationships among its constituent members.
Without an article, the term refers either to the entirety of humanity
or a contextually specific subset of people. In social sciences, a
society invariably entails social stratification and/or dominance
hierarchy.”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society)
Societies
are more than a bunch
of people stuck together in the same space and time. They are organised into groups that have various
functions
within society. These functions
are organised
into various roles that fit together like a clock or a play.
These
groups can be described in
any number of ways according to the relationship of the group with other groups in society. They
provide a way to
understand our relationships
with each other and
the others around us:
... Society:
probably the most inclusive or generalised
... Community: defines our
relationships within
society
... Clubs: defines our
relationships within the
community
... Teams: defines our
relationships within clubs
... Groups: defines our
relationships within
teams
(These groups
can be reorganised any way according to the perspective of the user)
The expressions "society", "social" and "community" have often been
used to mean the same things. A social group describes the common
characteristics of a group, but not the personal relationships within
the group. A community group is the shared interests, networks and
relationships we have with each other within society. While a person
can move from one community to another easily according to his/her
needs at a particular time, it is more difficult to move from one
society to another. As a result we see lots of communities that are a
part of the same social group.
If someone wants to build a nuclear reactor in a suburb, I would be
more inclined to protest if it was planned to be built in my suburb. If
the nuclear reactor became a social issue, there would be a great deal
of discussion about the project.
Simply
put, society
could be best
described as the way we do things, and, community is
who we do those things with.
What is a
social consciousness?
(Top)
"Social
consciousness is consciousness shared within a society. It can also be
defined as social awareness; to be aware of the problems that different
societies and communities face on a day-to-day basis; to be conscious
of the difficulties and hardships of society." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_consciousness)
An awareness of the various social relationships within a community, as
well as other
communities that it is a part of, and the wider social relationships
that they are a
part of, is crucial in how the community succeeds of fails in providing
for the needs of its members. Just as people interact with each other,
communities interact
with each
other, and it is up to the community to determine how it works towards
achieving its desired goals and objectives. Communities need to be able
to react to events outside their control and have an impact on the
community. They need to be able to balance their own needs and
resources
with
the
needs and
resources
of
the wider community that they are a part of.
The social
systems within the community:
(Top)
- Peer groups
- Cliques
- Networks
- Departments
- Hierarchies
- Factions
- Divisions
- Politics
These social systems could also be described as the
Informal insitiutions
of a community.
Politics and business often dictitate how things get done in the
community today.
Informal institutions:
(Top)
Politics
and business often dictate how things get done in the community today.
It's what we dont see that determines what happens in the
community.
These
institutions are informal because they are more about the way these
members and groups interact with each other, rather any formal
policies, rules or
regulations of the community. There can be any
number of layers in the community, The bigger the community, the more
layers there may be. The
institutions of each layer also determines the way the group functions
within community.
The
relationship between the
the formal and
informal institutions within
the community.
Peter Anderson
http://www.psawa.com
