What is society? What is society: definition of the concept

The answer to the question of what society is, at first glance, seems simple. On the one side, we're talking about about an organized and self-governing group of people who are bound together by certain social, ethical, political, economic and cultural norms. The latter determine the form of existence of society and thereby serve as a guarantee of its further development. On the other hand, society is a collection of people separate from other nature, building an artificial world around itself. Unlike any other animal, and even more so flora, society cannot isolate itself, and therefore people are forced to look for common points of contact, which we call social interaction or social organization.

Structural components

Thus, speaking about what society is, it is necessary to highlight several components that are characteristic of the entire human community:

Values are historically established norms of behavior that regulate all aspects of social relations, including moral, ethical, economic, and political;

Social organization is an established practice of social interaction based on certain development factors;

Social reproduction - society, despite internal segmentation and conflict, does not strive for self-destruction, trying to develop a model of self-development that would allow it to exist indefinitely in space and time.

Space and time

However, if we take the context of space and time, we can distinguish separate societies existing on different continents, having completely different values and models of social practices. In addition, according to time, ancient society, ancient society, medieval society, etc. are distinguished. And this is only from the point of view of a Eurocentric understanding of history. Therefore, when talking about what society is, we must understand that we need to look not just for common ground and value guarantees for a safe future, but also for unchanging forms social interaction. By the way, in this sense, it is not surprising that Marx turned to the analysis of the mode of production - people can be separated by cultural, ethnic, political barriers, territory and even time, but they are always dependent on the level of economic development.

That is why, answering the question of what society is, it is necessary first of all to analyze its political and economic structure. And from here we can draw a conclusion about the social and value organization.

Political system

The political system of modern Russian society is just being formed. This is due to several reasons.

Firstly, the old, clan, almost feudal model still persists social organization. Political parties, which are supposed to be interest providers social groups, do not actually perform their functions.
Secondly, weak representation of social interests forces the political system to look for other, non-social forms of self-organization. Politics is turning into an elite project that presupposes the existence of the state only “at the top.” Thus, power and society are artificially separated.
Thirdly, power is not determined by the development of administrative and bureaucratic structures. If the minimum result is achieved with maximum effort, this means that political system, at least not formed. A strong state is one that achieves maximum results with minimal effort. With comprehensive participation of society in politics.

We all live on the same planet. There are already seven billion of us today. Do you know what unites us all? It turns out that we are all part of society.

What is society: definition, structure, types

Let's start from the original meaning of this word - “general”. Man cannot exist in isolation. He needs to unite with those who have something in common with him. Similar interests. Let's say the desire to survive.

But when you coexist with someone next to you, whether you like it or not, you have to adapt to him. Otherwise there will be chaos, lawlessness.

Society is an established system of interactions between people, which forces them to come into contact not chaotically, but according to established rules. These rules are developed based on the experience of generations. Even if they are not prescribed, they are always clearly stated. It is the agreed upon order of interactions that prevents the community from falling apart.

Today there are three main views on society:

Philosophical
Sociological
Private scientific

From the position of philosophy, society is considered as a non-spatial and timeless phenomenon. This is a special state of being, which is separated from nature, remaining part of the material world. It is constantly evolving.

The sociological approach advocates a view of society as a social reality. What's the difference? The same thing, only closer to concrete life. At a specific time and in a specific place.

According to the definition of E. Shiles, an American sociologist:

Society cannot be part of a larger system
Marriages in it are concluded only between their own
Replenishment occurs mainly due to the children of representatives of this society
It always has some territory that it considers its property
Has its own history and name
Has its own control system
Society has a duration of existence longer than the life of its individual representative
In a society, all its members are united general system values

The third view is a private scientific one. Thus, demography considers society as a population.

At every moment of time, every society has its own culture.

What is the culture of society

We are used to looking at this concept one-sided: whether a person says thank you or gives up his seat to an old man on the bus. Meanwhile, this has little relation to this concept.

In fact, it is a certain level of development of society, which is expressed in the forms and types of organization of people’s lives. It is also expressed in the material and spiritual values created by these people. Thus, both the Australian aborigine living in primitive conditions and the English gentleman in the City of London are people with their own culture.

Society structure

The structure of society is a collection of social groups, large and small. This is the relationship between them.

Specific people with specific interests.

Either they are united by the method of obtaining a livelihood (for example, peasants), or the amount of income (for example, the middle class), or the level of education.

There can be any number of divisions into social groups.

More fundamentally, society is represented by its institutions.

What are the institutions of society

This is a historically established, stable system of social relations, secured by moral norms and law. The main players are family, state, property (private, personal, state, etc.), law, education, economy, army. Social institutions stand guard over the preservation of the system and solving specific problems within it.

What is a typology of society

Depending on the tasks set, societies can be divided into certain types, in which the same parameters are clearly visible. Determining these parameters and studying is called typology. The main criterion here is what political relations and form state power prevail in society. They serve as the basis for dividing society into different types. Today, modern sociology distinguishes three types:

Traditional (pre-industrial)
Industrial
Post-industrial.

What is pre-industrial society

One that is predominantly agrarian, where the positions of the church and the army are strong. It's very great value attached to tradition. Such societies are characterized by the predominance of collective interests over private ones. It is not the person himself who is valued, but the place he occupies in the hierarchy (clan, class, etc.).

What is an industrial society

This is such an organization social life, which combines the freedom and interests of its individual representative with general principles. Exactly general principles regulate joint activities all individuals combined. For industrial society a developed communication system and social mobility are indicative.

What is post-industrial society

This concept has appeared since the late 1960s. The basis was the changes caused by sharp modifications in the economic and cultural life of more developed countries. The leading role in such a society is given to knowledge and information, computer and automatic devices. A person who has received the necessary education and has access to the most latest information, becomes the owner of an advantage in moving up the social hierarchy ladder.

What is the information society

This type of society is formed on the foundation post-industrial society. It is based on intellectual abilities people and their knowledge. Initiative and creativity are encouraged. Organizational and scientific factors are also key.

What is the sphere of society

A certain set of stable relationships between people. It is customary to distinguish four:

social
economic
political
spiritual

What is a social society

A social society can constantly change in its existing states. Social groups appear and disappear. Their development gives social society the very mobility that is characteristic of it.

What is civil society

Thus established relationships that provide conditions for political activity person. It is possible to realize different needs and interests of the individual, social. groups and associations.

You see that society is constantly evolving. It evolves just like us. And it depends on us what it will be like tomorrow.

Social studies - 6th grade

Technological map lesson.

Complies with Federal State Educational Standard.

Teacher: Gilfanova Ramilya Rafaelovna

School: MBOU "Sarmanovskaya Secondary School" Sarmanovsky municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan

Academic subject: social science

Lesson topic: What is society?

Lesson type: learning new material.

Target: familiarizing students with the versatility of the concept of “Society”; development of educational and research skills of students; nurturing a sense of belonging to the life of society.

Tasks:

Subject UUD

1. Gain new knowledge about the structure of society

2. Highlight essential features society.

3. Show specific examples of the content of the main areas public life.

Metasubject UUD

1.Cognitive- own semantic reading, classify on given or independently selected grounds, establish analogies to understand patterns, critically evaluate incoming information; systematize it and present it in text form.

2. Regulatory- determine the purpose and problem of the activity.

3.Communicative- express your opinion, giving reasons for it, supporting it with facts, putting forward counterarguments in the discussion; organize work in pairs, groups, overcome conflicts, negotiate with people.

Personal UUD- evaluate one’s own and others’ actions with reason, based on universal human values moral values, realize the integrity of the world and the diversity of views on it.

Interdisciplinary connections: Reliance on knowledge of the history of the Ancient World (grade 5)

Equipment: computer, interactive equipment, handouts for group work.

Teacher activities

Student activities

Cognitive

Communicative

Regulatory

Implemented

actions

Implemented

actions

Formed methods of activity

Implemented

actions

Formed methods of activity

Stage “Setting the goals and objectives of the lesson”

1. The teacher asks questions to the class:

You live in a society, but have you ever thought about what society is? Define it from your point of view.

Notice if some definitions seem to contradict each other?

On the board, the teacher can conventionally (with symbols) display different points of view.

What are these contradictions?

2. The teacher asks to determine the topic of the lesson

3. The teacher and children formulate and write down the problem: Society is a complex, multifaceted concept, consisting of many interrelated elements.

Answer questions and give several definitions

Determine the topic of the lesson, formulate the problem, set goals and objectives.

Put forward a hypothesis and substantiate it, update personal life experience

Interact with the teacher during a conversation, enter into dialogue with the teacher

Listen to the interlocutor, construct statements that are understandable to the interlocutor.

Monitor the correctness of students’ answers

Be able to listen in accordance with the target setting. Accept and maintain the learning goal and task. Supplement and clarify opinions expressed on the merits of the assignment received

Stage “Knowledge Updating”

The teacher uses topic-provoking dialogue with questions:

Let's remember how society developed over time, the material that we studied with you in the history lessons of the ancient world in 5th grade.

What ancient societies and states do we know?

What do we remember most from the history of the ancient world?

What were the main occupations of people?

What groups were societies divided into?

Who controlled people and how?

Which civilization's culture do you remember most?

Is the modern society in which we live different from the one you studied in 5th grade history lessons?

So let's determine what elements modern society consists of.

Answer the questions asked

Establish analogies to understand patterns

Engage in dialogue with the teacher and other students

Express your opinion, give reasons for it, support it with facts, put forward counterarguments in the discussion.

Determine the problem in the activity, monitor the correctness of students’ answers

Accept and maintain the learning goal and task. Identify deviations from the standard and carry out mutual control

Stage of “Discovery of new knowledge”

1. Organizes work with the text §1с.7-10 “The Concept of Society”

2. The structure of society has always aroused great interest among people. Many scientists have tried to find a model, an image with which to reproduce human society.

Carefully read the title of the second paragraph of §1 p.10. and guess what he can tell us about?

How do you understand what the word “sphere” means?

Check your assumptions by reading the text “Spheres of Society” p. 10-11. Did they coincide or not and in what ways?

Draw conclusions.

The teacher summarizes the students' conclusions:

So we did

the conclusion is that

A. society consists of 4 spheres, regions.

B. We learned the names of these spheres.

B. These areas are interconnected.

Now let's see what is included in these areas, what types of people's activities.

Working in fours « Test yourself»

(handouts in front of the children: numbered color clippings from newspapers and magazines, photographs representing different sides life of society, signs with the names of spheres of public life.)

1. The task is to arrange these pictures into spheres, record the result with a list of numbers.

3. Identify errors

Read the text, compare the textbook definitions with those definitions. Which were given at the beginning of the lesson. Write down the definition in your notebook.

Make assumptions by reading the text, compare their assumptions with what is written.

Students work with the task, work with the text.

From each group, 1 student speaks and analyzes the mistakes made. I think...we came to the conclusion...we made a mistake...because...,etc)

Listen to other groups

Analyze the material, compare, contrast, highlight the main thing.

Carry out analysis, highlight the main thing in the text. Prove or disprove your hypothesis, draw conclusions

Independently read information based on assignments or independently chosen grounds, establish analogies to understand patterns, critically evaluate information, and systematize it.

Analyze which group allowed more errors. Why?

Compare your definition with the textbook definition

Carry out monologue speech.

Organizes group work

Consciously construct your speech utterance

Consciously build your monologue, prove your judgment.

Overcome conflict, negotiate with people.

During the presentation of some students, the rest monitor the correctness and completeness of the analysis.

They control the expressiveness of students’ speech.

Independence and mutual assistance in completing tasks in groups

Accept and maintain the learning goal and task. Exercise mutual control

Monitor and detect deviations from the topic.

Plan your action with the assigned task and the conditions for its implementation, incl. in internally. Detect deviation from the standard. Make necessary adjustments to actions after completion based on assessment and taking into account the errors made.

Stage of “Application of new knowledge”

Primary consolidation

On interactive whiteboard a small test, the answers to which must be written down from groups.

Secondary consolidation

Homework:

For all students: § 1.

Reproductive level: c. 1–2.

Construction level: c. 3.

Creative level: write a story on the topic “Travel”
into ancient society"

Participate in test execution

Monitor what you have learned, see other people’s mistakes, and correct them.

The “speakers” of the groups perform 1 task each on the interactive board.

Reflection on your actions.

Listen to answers from group “speakers”

Carry out final and step-by-step control of the results.

Reflection and self-esteem educational activities

The teacher can arrange this in the form of a blitz survey.

What did you learn in class today?

What new did you learn?

What did you like?

What didn't you like?

What grade would you give yourself for your work in class?

Respond to a quick survey

Critically evaluate your activities in class

Express your opinion

Construct correct statements

Listen to the opinions of others

Carry out self-assessment of your own educational activities.

The word “society” is known to each of you. But it’s worth thinking about - what does it mean?

Concept of society

Modern man cannot exist without other people. In the 5th grade you learned that in a person there are two principles side by side: biological and social. The latter means that throughout our lives, from infancy to old age, we learn to live in society, learn rules of behavior, and master various social roles.

Turning to the historical past of mankind, let us remember that primitive people merged into tribal communities to get food together, take care of children and the elderly, escape from natural disasters, defend against enemies and attacks from wild animals, and explore new territories. People did all this together, together. This is where the concepts of “community” and “society” came from. The unification and interaction of ancient people helped the human race to survive.

Scientists believe that the society in which we live appeared simultaneously with the appearance on Earth of “homo sapiens” - or, as he is also called, man modern look. This happened about 40 thousand years ago.

The concept of “society” is extremely diverse. It may include two dozen people - 6 "A" class, or maybe more than a billion - modern China and India.

A society can be called an association of people based on interests. For example, a diving society or a wildlife conservation society.

Society is also called the people living on the territory of a given country or state. These concepts should be distinguished: country - geographical concept, the state is political, and society is social (from Latin words socium - society; socialis - public).

Society is studied by sociology - a science that studies the structure of society, the interaction of groups of people within it. Geography deals with the study of countries, and political science and law study states.

Country is a territory that has certain borders (for example, Russia, China).

The state is an organization supreme power with its own system of institutions (parliament, government, army, police, courts) that carry out their activities and manage society in a certain territory.

Society may mean:

humanity as a whole;
society refers to people living in the territory of a country or state ( Russian society, French society, etc.);
an association of people by interests (sports society), by origin (knightly society), by profession (workers, teachers), etc.;
society refers to a specific stage in the historical development of a people or country (for example, primitive society, medieval society, etc.).

What meanings of the concept “society” do the illustrations reflect?

Public relations

In 5th grade, we began to understand interpersonal relationships that are formed in small groups of people (family, student group, etc.) who personally know each other. Most different people connect to society public relations, which develop between people as representatives of large social groups and between large social groups. Nations, urban population, workers, youth, pensioners, schoolchildren, doctors, teachers, etc. - these are all large social groups. They include thousands and millions of people. Collective (but not personal) relations between people are called social relations.

Social relations are relationships between people as representatives of large social groups (classes, professions, nations, etc.). They are based on collective rules, i.e. demands to behave in a certain way.

IN large groups there are social relations, and in a small group interpersonal relationships

Let's give an example. A teacher may treat a student with great sympathy, but if the student has not learned the lesson, he will give him a bad grade. Teacher and student are representatives of two large social groups, their relationships are subordinate certain rules, they have different social statuses (position in society) and different social roles (behavior corresponding to the status).

Social relations are regulated by laws, morals, traditions, customs, i.e. collective norms - ideas about how, for example, marriages are concluded between people, how labor disputes are resolved, how a student should behave at school, and much more that we encounter in everyday life.

Social relations form the basis of society. They bind many people together into a single whole. In fulfilling his duties, the teacher enters into certain relationships with the student, and the student - with the teacher, parents, policeman, peers, seller, etc.

In the world around us, there are various forms of social relations: rivalry (competition), mutual assistance, cooperation, love, enmity. For example, politicians compete with each other for votes in elections to government bodies, school sports teams compete for first place in the district sports competition, rescuers different countries cooperate, eliminating the consequences of the earthquake and helping people, etc.

Give examples of how the forms of social relations indicated in the diagram appear in life or history.

Social relations have two mandatory properties - stability and variability. For example, teachers and students have existed at all times, but social relations between teacher and student in Ancient world or in the Middle Ages were completely different than in modern society. Previously, the teacher had the right to punish a negligent student with rods, and parents maintained this order, sometimes adding punishment at home “to be sure.” Nowadays rods are prohibited, as are many other things. IN modern world public relations are built on respect for human rights and strict observance of laws.

Let's sum it up

Society - necessary condition human life. Scientists believe that society has existed for about 40 thousand years, since the appearance of “homo sapiens”. “Society” is a multi-valued concept.

The relationships that develop between people as representatives of large social groups are called “social”.

Basic terms and concepts

Society, country, state, public relations.

Test your knowledge

Explain the meaning of the concepts: “society”, “country”, “state”, “social relations”.
Why does the concept "society" have many meanings? Which one do you think is most important for learning social studies?
What is the difference between social and interpersonal relationships? Which ones are more common? Give examples.
Explain what “sociology”, “legislation”, “political science” are. What are they studying? When preparing your answer, refer to the dictionary at the end of the textbook.

Workshop

Using knowledge about society, determine in what meaning the concepts are used: “ancient society”, “medieval society”, “sports society”, “ high society", "Russian society".
What concepts: “society”, “country” or “state” are missing in the sentences?
1. ------ violet lovers organized an exhibition and sale.
2. Power in the Middle Ages ----- more often all belonged to the monarch.
3. ------ Egypt is located in Africa.
Prepare a story on the topic “Journey to Ancient Roman Society.”
Read the story by Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko “In bad society" How do you understand the meaning of the title of this story?