What is Society?

Paper Summary:

The paper considers the range of relevant definitions of a society. The paper notes that most of the explanations seem to be centered on the role played by the individual within the community, through his will, thoughts and his interactional capabilities.

From the Paper:

"Sociologists across space and time have struggled to offer a most comprehensive definition of society. In simplistic terms, it represents a gathering of various people, coming from numerous backgrounds, registering different incomes and having different occupations and hobbies. This gathering is governed by various laws, written and unwritten, to which all members must subject. The representatives of the social sciences chose a different approach to explain the society. They made an analogy to the body parts, or the organs, which form the body as a whole and which allow it to properly function. But for this functioning to occur, all organs must do their part; in other words, the division of labor occurs. And this division of labor is then used to explain society, as each member must do his part. The definition provided by the social sciences continues by bringing in the capabilities of the human mind: the ability to think and develop, while also being able to hope and want."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Beattie, J., Other Cultures, New York: Free Press, 1964
• Howard, M., McKim, P., Contemporary Cultural Anthropology, 1983
• Krober, A.L., Anthropology, New York, Harcourt Brace, 1948
• Lenski, G., Human Societies, New York, McGraw Hill, 1970
• Scupin, R., Cultural Anthropology: A Global Perspective, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Halls, 1992

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