Society
As a society, is called in sociology, but also in the anthropological sciences in general a summarized and defined by different characteristics and number of persons living as social actors linked to each other and interact directly or indirectly.
The term "Company" refers both to humanity as a whole (compared to eg the animal kingdom ), as well as certain groups of people, such as a nation, or a structured, spatially defined connection between humans (eg, "the Swedish society " ) or for a defined by the density and multiplexity of social interactions ball (cluster ) in the network of mankind.
In sociology, a loose intra- scientific use of the word is used very often today.
Conceptual history
"Company" means literally the epitome combines spatially or temporarily living in one room united people. The results from the etymological derivation of the word from OHG sal = space, OHG Selida = address; still preserved in NHG " hall", skand. sal = floor; Russian sajelo = yard, country house. - " Journeyman ", OHG gisellio, is therefore the " hall comrades ".
The term is probably derived directly from or journeyman of journeymen. Journeymen of the association of journeymen to enforce a debt amending of the guild masters (the " championship" ) was given working conditions. In today's parlance interpret phrases such as " join " (see DC and a feather flock together. ) Or " sociable " ( " companionship " ) to a spatially and temporally open connection between people. The conflict between journeymen and mastery of the medieval guild 's two terms in current usage alien. In the modern development of law, the legal language has established itself as free evaluation group concept. In Schleiermacher's distinction between society and community legal thinking this sounds to.
The ideas of the Enlightenment of a rational government were made known by the French Revolution to the general public. In the 19th century was the "Company" for the translation of Engl. society and French société used. The concept of civil society or 'civil society' served the emerging bourgeoisie as a counter-concept to the absolutist princely state. The term dualism state / society was henceforth fundamental to the political philosophy of liberalism.
Biosociologically seen by nature man is made in society. With (already ) Aristotle's words, he is a ζώον πολιτικόν ( political animal ), one on " scale - States (municipalities, poleis ) education being".
Sociological schools
The term " society" is controversial as the central basic concept of sociology. 2011 Schwinn Thomas wrote in a review by ' strong and weak society terms '. This he described as a "deterioration stages of a traditional concept '. He describes the theory and history of the term differs among others system-theoretical approaches (including Talcott Parsons, Luhmann), action- theoretical foundation attempts ( Anthony Giddens, Hartmut Esser ) or combinations of systems and action theory ( Habermas, Uwe Schimank ).
Even in today's sociology the use of the term society is controversial. For example, demands the British sociologist John Urry for a sociology of the 21st century, the break with the analysis of companies ( Sociology Beyond Societies, London 2000).
Marxism (Marx)
According to Marx, society is the totality of relations between people. According to Marx, society is the sum of relations and relationships among individuals and not individuals as such. The society is analyzed here by the historical development of economic relations, which Marx first describes three basic social formations:
- The original primary or archaic formation ( primitive society ) begins on the ground of common property and social homogeneity that gradually differentiates itself on their last and highest stage of development with the division of labor, with individually occupied public ownership socially and over grow into the secondary formation.
- The secondary formation of large private property based on socially heterogeneous societies (Asian mode of production, slave society, feudalism and bourgeois- capitalist society )
- The communist social formation with socialism as a precursor or transition to a classless society
Sociological classics
Structural functionalism ( Parsons )
In ( eg) the structure is made up of stakeholders then a company if it is able to satisfy the human needs by means of certain social functions ( see Talcott Parsons, but also: the functionalism ). Functionally it aligned form institutions and without the development of appropriate structures is not possible a lasting gratification. Also a Robinson Crusoe survives only because he has internalized the methods to deal with the world (norms, values, abilities), because it carries the society in itself - for example, if he is pious on his desert island. Participant (or, contentiously, individual ) and society stand in a mutual dependency. The long term, companies stabilize only when they reproduce themselves over socialization structures and values. Original instance is here by biological determinism, the nuclear family ( even this is disputed ).
Systems theory ( Luhmann)
Niklas Luhmann speaks of a " society " when conforming or deviant behavior in terms of norms and values is determined and a corresponding differentiation of expectations and reactions is present (Luhmann - "interaction, organization and society ", in:. Writings, " Sociological Enlightenment, Volume 2: Essays on the Theory of society ", 1975). In the communication- theoretical conception of Niklas Luhmann, the company is described as " all for each other communicatively accessible events." Society system theoretical is expressed by Luhmann, the comprehensive social system, the unit that has no social environment more and all ( other ) social systems, relations and facts. In other words, society is everything for each other through communication distance.
Practice and theory of practice ( Bourdieu)
For Pierre Bourdieu, society is not entirely explainable. However, there are two distinguishable levels: the level of social practice in which the life abspiele for regularities whose expiration the participants incorporated to a large extent unconsciously, and the level of theory of practice where we need to examine the unconscious, reveal in their whole hardly perceived power relations of social practice, and specifically where it breaks largely to the habits of acting, perceiving and judging. Bourdieu's very influential work thus contains a social-critical component.
World Society
Tönnies' and Luhmann approaches allow - like many other sociological macro theorists - even the concept of a global society:
- With Karl Marx by the penetrating exploitation mechanism in capitalism;
- Ludwig Gumplovicz by the war between groups;
- Ferdinand Tönnies by long-distance trade;
- Niklas Luhmann by the global spread of media communication ) and by a (global ) social function system ( one of the States parent instance - this could be, for example, the UN, and this refers to Luhmann unspecified ).
Ethnological Approach
In the Anthropology Society is a larger human group whose members are joined together by common language, values , beliefs, traditions and experiences; (see → Community ).