Signs of society as a dynamic system with examples. Interrelation of economic, social, political and spiritual spheres

Ticket No. 1

What is society?

There are many definitions of the concept “society”. In the narrow sense, by society can be understood as certain group people who have united to communicate and jointly perform any activity, as well as a specific stage in the historical development of a people or country.

IN in a broad sense society- this is a part of the material world, isolated from nature, but closely connected with it, which consists of individuals with will and consciousness, and includes ways of interaction between people and forms of their unification.
In philosophical science characterizes society as dynamic self-developing system, that is, a system that is capable of seriously changing and at the same time maintaining its essence and qualitative certainty. In this case, the system is defined as a complex of interacting elements. In turn, an element is some further indecomposable component of the system that is directly involved in its creation.
Signs of society:

• A collection of individuals gifted with will and consciousness.
• General interest of a permanent and objective nature. The organization of society depends on the harmonious combination of the general and individual interests of its members.
• Interaction and cooperation based on common interests. There must be an interest in each other, making it possible to realize the interests of everyone.
• Regulation of public interests through mandatory rules behavior.
• The presence of an organized force (authority) capable of providing society with internal order and external security.

Each of these spheres, being itself an element of the system called “society”, in turn turns out to be a system in relation to the elements that compose it. All four spheres public life are interconnected and mutually condition each other. The division of society into spheres is somewhat arbitrary, but it helps to isolate and study individual areas of a truly integral society, diverse and complex social life.

1. Politics and power

Power- the right and opportunity to influence other people, to subordinate them to your will. Power appeared with the emergence of human society and will always accompany its development in one form or another.

Sources of power:

• Violence ( physical strength, weapons, organized group, threat of force)
• Authority (family and social connections, deep knowledge in some area, etc.)
• Law (position and authority, control of resources, custom and tradition)

Subject of power- one who gives orders

Object of power- the one who performs.

To date researchers identify various public authorities:
depending on the prevailing resource, power is divided into political, economic, social, informational;
depending on the subjects of power, power is divided into state, military, party, trade union, family;
Depending on the methods of interaction between subjects and objects of power, they distinguish between dictatorial, totalitarian and democratic power.

Policy- the activities of social classes, parties, groups, determined by their interests and goals, as well as the activities of bodies state power. Often under political struggle imply a struggle for power.

Highlight the following types authorities:

• Legislative (parliament)
• Executive (government)
• Judicial (courts)
• IN Lately facilities mass media characterized as the “fourth estate” (possession of information)

Subjects of politics: individuals, social groups, classes, organizations, political parties, state

Policy objects: 1. internal (society as a whole, economy, social sphere, culture, national relations, ecology, personnel)

2. external ( international relationships, global community( global problems)

Policy functions: organizational base of society, controlling, communicative, integrative, educational

Types of policies:

1. by direction political decisions– economic, social, national, cultural, religious, state-legal, youth

2. by scale of impact – local, regional, national (national), international, global (global problems)

3. according to the impact prospects - strategic (long-term), tactical (urgent tasks to achieve the strategy), opportunistic or current (urgent)

Ticket number 2

Society as complex dynamic system

Society– a complex dynamic self-developing system, which consists of subsystems (spheres of public life), of which four are usually distinguished:
1) economic (its elements are material production and relationships that arise between people in the process of production of material goods, their exchange and distribution);
2) social (consists of such structural formations, as classes, social strata, nations, from their relationships and interactions with each other);
3) political (includes politics, state, law, their relationship and functioning);
4) spiritual (covers various shapes and levels of social consciousness, which in the real life of society form the phenomenon of spiritual culture).

Characteristic features (signs) of society as a dynamic system:

• dynamism (the ability to change over time both society and its individual elements).
• a complex of interacting elements (subsystems, social institutions).
• self-sufficiency (the ability of a system to independently create and recreate the conditions necessary for its own existence, to produce everything necessary for people’s lives).
• integration (interconnection of all system components).
• self-governance (response to changes in the natural environment and the global community).

Ticket number 3

1. Human nature

Until now, there is no clarity as to what the nature of man is, which determines his essence. Modern science recognizes the dual essence of man, a combination of biological and social.

From a biological point of view, humans belong to the class of mammals, the order of primates. Man is subject to the same biological laws as animals: he needs food, physical activity, and rest. A person grows, is susceptible to disease, grows old and dies.

The “animal” personality of a person is influenced by innate behavioral programs (instincts, unconditioned reflexes) and those acquired during life. This side of the personality is “responsible” for nutrition, preservation of life and health, and procreation.

Supporters of the theory of the origin of man from animals as a result of evolution
explain the peculiarities of human appearance and behavior by a long struggle for existence (2.5 million years), as a result of which the most fit individuals survived and left offspring.

The social essence of a person is formed under the influence of the social way of life and communication with others. Through communication, a person can convey to others what he is aware of and what he is thinking about. The means of communication between people in society is, first of all, language. There are cases where small children were raised by animals. Having entered human society as adults, they could not master articulate human speech. This may indicate that speech and related abstract thinking are formed only in society.

Social forms of behavior include a person’s ability to sympathize, care for the weak and those in need of help in society, self-sacrifice to save other people, the fight for truth, justice, etc.

The highest form of manifestation of the spiritual side human personality is love for one's neighbor, not associated with material reward or public recognition.

Selfless love and altruism are the main conditions for spiritual growth and self-improvement. The spiritual personality, enriched in the process of communication, limits the egoism of the biological personality, and this is how moral improvement occurs.

Characterizing social essence a person is usually called: consciousness, speech, labor activity.

1. Socialization

Socialization – the process of mastering knowledge and skills, ways of behavior, necessary for a person to become a member of society, act correctly and interact with their social environment.

Socialization- the process by which the infant gradually develops into a self-aware, intelligent being who understands the essence of the culture into which he was born.

Socialization is divided into two types - primary and secondary.

Primary socialization concerns immediate environment person and includes, first of all, family and friends, and secondary refers to the indirect, or formal, environment and consists of the influences of institutions and institutions. The role of primary socialization is great in early stages life, and secondary - in later life.

Highlight agents and institutions of socialization. Agents of Socialization- these are specific people responsible for teaching cultural norms and mastering social roles. Socialization institutions- social institutions that influence the process of socialization and guide it. Agents of primary socialization include parents, relatives, friends and peers, teachers and doctors. To secondary - officials university, enterprise, army, church, journalists, etc. Primary socialization is the sphere of interpersonal relationships, secondary - social. The functions of primary socialization agents are interchangeable and universal, while the functions of secondary socialization agents are non-interchangeable and specialized.

Along with socialization, it is also possible desocialization- loss or conscious rejection of learned values, norms, social roles (committing a crime, mental illness). Restoring lost values ​​and roles, retraining, returning to a normal lifestyle is called resocialization(this is the purpose of punishment as correction) - change and revision of ideas formed earlier.

Ticket No. 4

Economic systems

Economic systems- is a collection of interconnected economic elements, forming a certain integrity, the economic structure of society; the unity of relations arising regarding the production, distribution, exchange and consumption of economic goods.

Depending on the method of solving the main economic problems and the type of ownership of economic resources, four main types of economic systems can be distinguished:

• traditional;
• market (capitalism);
• command (socialism);
• mixed.

Ticket No. 5

Ticket number 6

Cognition and knowledge

In the Russian language dictionary S.I. Ozhegov gives two definitions of the concept knowledge:
1) comprehension of reality by consciousness;
2) a set of information and knowledge in some area.
Knowledge– this is a multi-aspect, practice-tested result that has been confirmed in a logical way, a process of learning about the world around us.
Several criteria can be named scientific knowledge:
1) systematization of knowledge;
2) consistency of knowledge;
3) validity of knowledge.
Systematization of scientific knowledge means that all the accumulated experience of humanity leads (or should lead) to a certain strict system.
Consistency of scientific knowledge means that knowledge in various areas sciences complement each other, not exclude each other. This criterion directly follows from the previous one. The first criterion helps to a greater extent to eliminate the contradiction - a strict logical system of constructing knowledge will not allow several contradictory laws to exist simultaneously.
Validity of scientific knowledge. Scientific knowledge can be confirmed by repeating the same action over and over again (i.e., empirically). Rationale scientific concepts occurs by accessing empirical research data or by accessing the ability to describe and predict phenomena (in other words, relying on intuition).

Cognition- this is the process of acquiring knowledge through empirical or sensory research, as well as comprehension of the laws of the objective world and the body of knowledge in some branch of science or art.
The following are distinguished: types of knowledge:
1) everyday knowledge;
2) artistic knowledge;
3) sensory cognition;
4) empirical knowledge.
Everyday knowledge is experience accumulated over many centuries. It lies in observation and ingenuity. This knowledge, no doubt, is acquired only as a result of practice.
Artistic knowledge. The specificity of artistic cognition lies in the fact that it is built on a visual image, displaying the world and a person in a holistic state.
Sensory cognition is what we perceive with the help of our senses (for example, I hear a bell mobile phone, I see a red apple, etc.).
The main difference between sensory knowledge and empirical knowledge is that empirical knowledge is carried out through observation or experiment. When conducting an experiment, a computer or other device is used.
Methods of cognition:
1) induction;
2) deduction;
3) analysis;
4) synthesis.
Induction is a conclusion made on the basis of two or more premises. Induction can lead to either a correct or an incorrect conclusion.
Deduction is a transition made from the general to the specific. The method of deduction, unlike the method of induction, always leads to true conclusions.
Analysis is the division of the studied object or phenomenon into parts and components.
Synthesis is a process opposite to analysis, i.e. connecting parts of an object or phenomenon into a single whole.

Ticket number 7

Legal liability

Legal liability- this is the way in which the interests of the individual, society and state receive real protection . Legal liability means the application to the offender of sanctions of legal norms, specified in them, certain penalties. This is the imposition of state coercive measures on the offender, the application of legal sanctions for an offense. Such responsibility represents a unique relationship between the state and the offender, where the state, represented by its law enforcement has the right to punish the offender, restore the broken legal order, and the offender is called upon to be convicted, i.e. to lose certain benefits, to suffer certain adverse consequences established by law.

These consequences can be different:

• personal (death penalty, imprisonment);
• property (fine, confiscation of property);
• prestigious (reprimand, deprivation of awards);
• organizational (closing an enterprise, dismissal from a position);
• their combination (recognition of the contract as illegal, deprivation of a driver’s license).

Ticket No. 8

Man on the labor market

A special and unique sphere of socio-economic relations between people is the sphere of relationships between people selling their labor power. The place where labor is bought and sold is labor markets. Here the law of supply and demand reigns supreme. The labor market ensures distribution and redistribution labor resources, mutual adaptation of objective and subjective factors of production. In labor markets, a person gets the opportunity to act in accordance with his own interests and realize his abilities.

Work force– physical and mental capabilities, as well as skills that allow a person to perform a certain type of work.
For the sale of his labor power, the worker receives wages.
Wage- the amount of monetary remuneration that an employer pays to an employee for performing a certain amount of work or performing his official duties.
This means that the price of labor power is wages.

At the same time, the “labor market” means competition for jobs for everyone, a certain freedom of hands for the employer of labor, which under unfavorable circumstances (supply exceeds demand) can cause very negative social consequences- salary reduction, unemployment, etc. For someone who is looking for work or working for hire, this means that he must, through upgrading and retraining, maintain and deepen his interest in himself as a labor force. This not only provides certain guarantees against unemployment, but also represents the basis for further professional development. Of course, this is not a guarantee against unemployment, because in each specific case, various personal reasons (for example, desires and claims for certain activities), real conditions (a person’s age, gender, possible obstacles or restrictions, place of residence and much more) should be taken into account. It should be noted that both now and in the future, employees must learn to adapt to the demands placed on them by the labor market, and the conditions themselves, which are changing rapidly. To meet the conditions of the modern labor market, everyone must be prepared for constant changes.

Ticket number 9

1. Nation and national relations

Nation is highest form ethnic community people, the most developed, historically stable, united by economic, territorial-state, cultural, psychological and religious characteristics.

Some scientists believe that a nation is a co-citizenship, i.e. people living in the same state. Belonging to a particular nation is called nationality. Nationality is determined not only by origin, but also by upbringing, culture and human psychology.
There are 2 trends in the development of the nation:
1. National, which is manifested in the desire of each nation for sovereignty, development of its economy, science and art. Nationalism is the doctrine of the priority of the interests and values ​​of one's nation, an ideology and policy based on the ideas of superiority and national exclusivity. Nationalism can develop into chauvinism and fascism - aggressive manifestations of nationalism. Nationalism can lead to national discrimination (denigration and infringement of human rights).
2. International – it reflects the desire of nations for interaction, mutual enrichment, expansion of cultural, economic, and other ties.
Both trends are interconnected and contribute to the progress of human
civilizations.

NATIONAL RELATIONS are the relations between the subjects of national-ethnic development - nations, nationalities, national groups and their state entities.

These relationships are of three types: equality; domination and submission; destruction of other subjects.

National relations reflect the entirety of social relations and are determined by economic and political factors. The main ones are political aspects. This is due to the importance of the state as the most important factor in the formation and development of nations. TO political sphere include such issues of national relations as national self-determination, the combination of national and international interests, equality of nations, creation of conditions for free development national languages and national cultures, representation of national personnel in government structures, etc. At the same time, historically developing traditions, social feelings and sentiments, geographical and cultural-living conditions of nations and nationalities have an impact strong impact on the formation of political attitudes, political behavior, political culture.

The main issues in national relations are equality or subordination; inequality of levels of economic and cultural development; national discord, strife, enmity.

1. Social problems in the job market

Ticket number 10

1. Culture and spiritual life of society

Culture is very complex phenomenon, which is reflected in hundreds of its definitions and interpretations existing today. The most common are the following approaches to understanding culture as a phenomenon of social life:
- Technological approach: culture is the totality of all achievements in the development of the material and spiritual life of society.
- Activity approach: culture is creative activity carried out in the spheres of material and spiritual life of society.
- Value approach: culture - practical implementation universal human values in the affairs and relationships of people.

Since the 1st century. before. n. e. the word “culture” (from the Latin cultura - care, cultivation, cultivation of the land) meant the upbringing of a person, the development of his soul and education. It finally came into use as a philosophical concept in the 18th - early 19th centuries. and denoted the evolution of humanity, the gradual improvement of language, customs, government, scientific knowledge, art, and religion. At this time, it was close in meaning to the concept of “civilization.” The concept of “culture” was contrasted with the concept of “nature”, i.e. culture is what man created, and nature is what exists independently of him.

Based on numerous works of various scientists, the concept of “culture” in the broad sense of the word can be defined as a historically determined dynamic complex of forms, principles, methods and results of active activity that are constantly updated in all spheres of social life. creative activity of people.

Culture in the narrow sense is a process of active creative activity, during which spiritual values ​​are created, distributed and consumed.

In connection with the existence of two types of activity - material and spiritual - we can distinguish two main spheres of the existence and development of culture.

Material culture is associated with the production and development of objects and phenomena of the material world, with changes in the physical nature of man: material and technical means of labor, communication, cultural and social facilities, production experience, skills of people, etc.

Spiritual culture is a set of spiritual values ​​and creative activities for their production, development and application: science, art, religion, morality, politics, law, etc.

Division criterion

The division of culture into material and spiritual is very arbitrary, since it is sometimes very difficult to draw a line between them, because they simply do not exist in a “pure” form: spiritual culture can also be embodied in material media (books, paintings, tools, etc.). d.). Understanding the relativity of the difference between material and spiritual culture, most researchers nevertheless believe that it still exists.

Main functions of culture:
1) cognitive is the formation holistic view about the people, country, era;
2) evaluative - differentiation of values, enrichment of traditions;
3) regulatory (normative) - the formation of a system of norms and requirements of society for all individuals in all areas of life and activity (standards of morality, law, behavior);
4) informative - the transfer and exchange of knowledge, values ​​and experience of previous generations;
5) communicative - preservation, transmission and replication cultural values; development and improvement of personality through communication;
6) socialization - the individual’s assimilation of a system of knowledge, norms, values, accustoming to social roles, normative behavior, desire for self-improvement.

The spiritual life of society is usually understood as that area of ​​existence in which objective reality is given to people not in the form of opposing objective activity, but as a reality present in the person himself, which is an integral part of his personality.

A person’s spiritual life arises on the basis of his practical activity; it is a special form of reflection of the surrounding world and a means of interaction with it.

Spiritual life usually includes knowledge, faith, feelings, experiences, needs, abilities, aspirations and goals of people. Taken together they constitute spiritual world personality.

Spiritual life is closely connected with other spheres of society and represents one of its subsystems.

Elements of the spiritual sphere of society: morality, science, art, religion, law.

The spiritual life of society covers various forms and levels of social consciousness: moral, scientific, aesthetic, religious, political, legal consciousness.

The structure of the spiritual life of society:

Spiritual Needs
They represent the objective need of people and society as a whole to create and master spiritual values

Spiritual activity (spiritual production)
Production of consciousness in a special public form carried out by specialized groups of people professionally engaged in skilled mental labor

Spiritual benefits (values):
Ideas, theories, images and spiritual values

Spiritual social connections of individuals

Man himself as a spiritual being

Reproduction of social consciousness in its integrity

Peculiarities

Its products are ideal formations that cannot be alienated from their direct producer

The universal nature of its consumption, since spiritual benefits are available to everyone - individuals without exception, being the property of all humanity.

1. Law in the system of social norms

Social norm- a rule of behavior established in society that regulates relationships between people and public life.

Society is a system of interconnected social public relations. These relationships are many and varied. Not all of them are regulated by law. Many relationships in people’s private lives are outside of legal regulation - in the sphere of love, friendship, leisure, consumption, etc. Although political, public interactions for the most part are of a legal nature, and in addition to law, they are regulated by other social norms. Thus, law does not have a monopoly on social regulation. Legal norms cover only strategic, socially significant aspects of relations in society. Along with law, a large number of regulatory functions in society are performed by a wide variety of social norms.

Social norm is a rule general regulating homogeneous, mass, typical social relations.

In addition to law, social norms include morality, religion, corporate rules, customs, fashion, etc. Law is only one of the subsystems of social norms, which has its own specific specifics.

General purpose social norms is to streamline the coexistence of people, ensure and harmonize their social interaction, giving the latter a stable, guaranteed character. Social norms limit the individual freedom of individuals by setting the limits of possible, proper and prohibited behavior.

Law regulates social relations in interaction with other norms, as an element of the system of social normative regulation.

Signs of a legal norm

The only one among social norms that comes from the state and is the official expression of its will.

Represents measure of freedom of will and behavior of a person.

Published in specific form.

Is form of implementation and consolidation of rights and obligations participants in public relations.

Supported in its implementation and protected by state power.

Always represents government mandate.

Is the only state regulator of public relations.

Represents general rule of conduct, that is, it indicates: how, in what direction, for what time, on what territory it is necessary for this or that entity to act; prescribes the correct course of action from the point of view of society and therefore obligatory for each individual.

Ticket number 11

1. The Constitution of the Russian Federation is the fundamental law of the country

Constitution of the Russian Federation- the highest normative legal act of the Russian Federation. Adopted by the people of the Russian Federation on December 12, 1993.

The Constitution has the highest legal force, establishing the foundations of the constitutional system of Russia, the state structure, the formation of representative, executive, judicial authorities and the system of local self-government, the rights and freedoms of man and citizen.

The Constitution is the fundamental law of the state, which has the highest legal force, establishing and regulating basic social relations in the sphere of the legal status of the individual, the institutions of civil society, the organization of the state and the functioning of public authority.
It is with the concept of a constitution that its essence is connected - the fundamental law of the state is intended to serve as the main limiter for power in relations with individuals and society.

Constitution:

· consolidates political system, fundamental rights and freedoms, determines the form of the state and the system of supreme bodies of state power;

· has the highest legal force;

· has direct effect (the provisions of the constitution must be implemented regardless of whether other acts contradict them);

· characterized by stability due to a special, complicated order of adoption and change;

· is the basis for current legislation.

The essence of the constitution, in turn, is manifested through its basic legal properties(that is, characteristic features that determine the qualitative originality of this document), which include:
acting as the fundamental law of the state;
legal supremacy;
acting as the basis of the whole legal system countries;
stability.
Sometimes the properties of a constitution also include other features - legitimacy, continuity, prospects, reality, etc.
The Constitution of the Russian Federation is the fundamental law of the country. Despite the fact that in official name and this term is absent in the text (unlike, for example, the Constitution of the RSFSR of 1978 or the constitutions of Germany, Mongolia, Guinea and other states), this follows from the very legal nature and essence of the constitution.
Legal supremacy. The Constitution of the Russian Federation has the highest legal force in relation to all other legal acts; not a single legal act adopted in the country (federal law, act of the President of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Russian Federation, act of regional, municipal or departmental lawmaking, agreement, court decision, etc. ), cannot contradict the Basic Law, and in case of contradiction (legal conflicts), the norms of the Constitution take precedence.
The Constitution of the Russian Federation is the core of the legal system of the state, the basis for the development of current (sectoral) legislation. In addition to the fact that the Constitution establishes the competence of various public authorities for rule-making and defines the main goals of such rule-making, it directly defines the areas of social relations that must be regulated by federal constitutional laws, federal laws, decrees of the President of the Russian Federation, regulatory legal acts of state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and so on, it contains many basic provisions, underlying the development of other branches of law.
The stability of the constitution is manifested in the establishment special order its changes (compared to laws and other legal acts). From the point of view of the procedure for amendment, the Russian Constitution is “hard” (in contrast to the “soft” or “flexible” constitutions of some states - Great Britain, Georgia, India, New Zealand and others - where changes to the constitution are made in the same order as V ordinary laws, or at least according to a fairly simple procedure).

1. Social mobility

Social mobility- a change by an individual or group in the place occupied in the social structure (social position), movement from one social stratum (class, group) to another (vertical mobility) or within the same social stratum (horizontal mobility). Social mobility- This is the process of a person changing his social status. Social status - the position occupied by an individual or a social group in society or a separate subsystem of society.

Horizontal mobility- the transition of an individual from one social group to another, located at the same level (example: moving from an Orthodox to a Catholic religious group, from one citizenship to another). Distinguish individual mobility- movement of one person independently of others, and group- movement occurs collectively. In addition, they highlight geographic mobility- moving from one place to another while maintaining the same status (example: international and interregional tourism, moving from city to village and back). As a type of geographic mobility, there are concept of migration- moving from one place to another with a change in status (example: a person moved to the city for permanent residence and changed his profession).

Vertical mobility- moving a person up or down the career ladder.

Upward mobility- social rise, upward movement (For example: promotion).

Downward mobility- social descent, downward movement (For example: demotion).

The concept of society covers all areas human life, relationships and connections. At the same time, society does not stand still; it is subject to constant change and development. Let's learn briefly about society - a complex, dynamically developing system.

Features of society

Society as a complex system has its own characteristics that distinguish it from other systems. Let's look at what has been discovered by different sciences. features :

• complex, multi-level nature

Society includes different subsystems and elements. It can include various social groups, both small ones - family, and large ones - class, nation.

Social subsystems are the main spheres: economic, social, political, spiritual. Each of them is also a unique system with many elements. Thus, we can say that there is a hierarchy of systems, that is, society is divided into elements, which, in turn, also include several components.

• presence of different quality elements: material (equipment, structures) and spiritual, ideal (ideas, values)

For example, the economic sphere includes transport, structures, materials for the manufacture of goods, and knowledge, norms, and rules in force in the sphere of production.

• the main element is man

Man is a universal element of all social systems, since he is included in each of them, and without him their existence is impossible.

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• constant changes, transformations

Of course, at different times the speed of change changed: the established order could be maintained for a long time, but there were also periods when rapid qualitative changes in social life occurred, for example, during revolutions. This is the main difference between society and nature.

• order

All components of society occupy their position and certain connections with other elements. That is, society is an ordered system in which there are many interconnected parts. Elements may disappear and new ones appear in their place, but on the whole the system continues to function in a certain order.

• self-sufficiency

Society as a whole is capable of producing everything necessary for its existence, therefore each element plays its role and cannot exist without the others.

• self-government

Society organizes management, creates institutions to coordinate the actions of different elements of society, that is, creates a system in which all parts can interact. Organizing the activities of each individual and groups of people, as well as exercising control, is a feature of society.

Social institutions

The idea of ​​society cannot be complete without knowledge of its basic institutions.

Social institutions mean such forms of organization joint activities people who formed as a result historical development and are regulated by the norms established in society. They unite large groups people engaged in any type of activity.

The activities of social institutions are aimed at satisfying needs. For example, people’s need for procreation gave rise to the institution of family and marriage, the need for knowledge - the institute of education and science. Average rating: 4.3. Total ratings received: 204.

Consequently, man is a universal element of all social systems, since he is necessarily included in each of them.

Like any system, society is an ordered entity. This means that the components of the system are not in chaotic disorder, but, on the contrary, occupy a certain position within the system and are connected in a certain way with other components. Hence. the system has an integrative quality that is inherent in it as a single whole. None of the system components. considered separately, does not possess this quality. It, this quality - result integration and interconnection of all system components. Just like individual human organs (heart, stomach, liver, etc.) do not possess human properties. Likewise, the economy, health care system, state and other elements of society do not have the qualities that are inherent in society as a whole. And only thanks to the diverse connections that exist between the components of the social system, it turns into a single whole. that is, into society (how, thanks to the interaction of various human organs, a single human organism exists).

The connections between subsystems and elements of society can be illustrated various examples. The study of the distant past of mankind allowed scientists to conclude that. What moral relations people in primitive conditions were built on collectivist principles, i.e. e., saying modern language, priority has always been given to the team rather than to the individual. It is also known that the moral norms that existed among many tribes in those archaic times allowed the killing of weak members of the clan - sick children, old people - and even cannibalism. Have these ideas and views of people about the limits of what is morally permissible been influenced by the real material conditions of their existence? The answer is clear: undoubtedly, they did. The need to collectively obtain material wealth, the doom of a person cut off from his clan to quick death, laid the foundations of collectivist morality. Guided by the same methods of struggle for existence and survival, people did not consider it immoral to free themselves from those who could become a burden to the collective.

Another example could be the connection between legal norms and socio-economic relations. Let us turn to known historical facts. In one of the first codes of laws Kievan Rus, which is called Russian Truth, provides various punishments for murder. At the same time, the measure of punishment was determined primarily by a person’s place in the system of hierarchical relations, his belonging to a particular social stratum or group. Thus, the fine for killing a tiun (steward) was enormous: it was 80 hryvnia and equal to the cost of 80 oxen or 400 rams. The life of a serf or serf was valued at 5 hryvnia, i.e. 16 times cheaper.

Integral, i.e., common, inherent in the entire system, qualities of any system are not a simple sum of the qualities of its components, but represent a new quality that arose as a result of the interconnection and interaction of its components. In the very general view this is the quality of society as a social system - the ability to create everything the necessary conditions for its existence, to produce everything necessary for the collective life of people. In philosophy, self-sufficiency is considered as the main difference between society and its constituent parts. Just as human organs cannot exist outside the whole organism, so none of the subsystems of society can exist outside the whole - society as a system.

Another feature of society as a system is that this system is self-governing.
Managerial function is performed by the political subsystem, which gives coherence to all the components that form the social integrity.

Any system, be it technical (a unit with an automatic control system), or biological (animal), or social (society), is located in a certain environment with which it interacts. The environment of the social system of any country is both nature and the world community. Changes in the state of the natural environment, events in the world community, in the international arena are a kind of “signals” to which society must respond. It usually seeks to either adapt to changes occurring in the environment or adapt the environment to its needs. In other words, the system reacts to “signals” in one way or another. At the same time, it implements its main functions: adaptation; goal achievement, i.e. the ability to maintain its integrity, ensuring the implementation of its tasks, influencing the surrounding natural and social environment; maintaining circulation - the ability to maintain one’s internal structure; integration - the ability to integrate, that is, to include new parts, new social formations (phenomena, processes, etc.) into a single whole.

SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

The most important component of society as a system are social institutions.

The word “institute” comes from the Latin instituto meaning “establishment”. In Russian it is often used to denote higher educational institutions. In addition, as you know from the basic school course, in the field of law the word “institution” means a set of legal norms that regulate one social relationship or several relationships related to each other (for example, the institution of marriage).

In sociology, social institutions are historically established stable forms of organizing joint activities, regulated by norms, traditions, customs and aimed at meeting the fundamental needs of society.

This is a definition that it is advisable to return to after reading to the end educational material By this issue, we will consider based on the concept of “activity” (see - 1). In the history of society, sustainable types of activities have developed aimed at satisfying the most important needs of life. Sociologists identify five such social needs:

the need for reproduction;
need for security and social order;
need for subsistence;
need for knowledge, socialization
the younger generation, personnel training;
- the need to solve spiritual problems of the meaning of life.

In accordance with the above-mentioned needs, types of activities have developed in society, which, in turn, required the necessary organization, streamlining, the creation of certain institutions and other structures, and the development of rules to ensure the achievement of the expected result. These conditions for the successful implementation of the main types of activities were met by historically established social institutions:

institution of family and marriage;
- political institutions, especially the state;
- economic institutions, primarily production;
- institutes of education, science and culture;
- Institute of Religion.

Each of these institutions brings together large masses of people to satisfy a particular need and achieve a specific goal of a personal, group or social nature.

The emergence of social institutions led to the consolidation of specific types of interaction, making them permanent and mandatory for all members of a given society.

So, a social institution is, first of all, a set of persons employed a certain type activities and ensuring, in the process of this activity, the satisfaction of a certain need that is significant for society (for example, all employees of the education system).

Further, the institution is secured by a system of legal and moral norms, traditions and customs that regulate the corresponding types of behavior. (Remember, for example, what social norms regulate the behavior of people in the family).

Another characteristic feature social institution- the presence of institutions equipped with certain material resources necessary for any type of activity. (Think about what social institutions the school, factory, and police belong to. Give your own examples of institutions and organizations that relate to each of the most important social institutions.)

Any of these institutions is integrated into the socio-political, legal, value structure of society, which makes it possible to legitimize the activities of this institution and exercise control over it.

A social institution stabilizes social relations and brings consistency into the actions of members of society. A social institution is characterized by a clear delineation of the functions of each of the subjects of interaction, consistency of their actions, and a high level of regulation and control. (Think about how these features of a social institution manifest themselves in the education system, particularly in school.)

Let us consider the main features of a social institution using the example of this important institution society, like a family. First of all, every family is a small group of people based on intimacy and emotional attachment, connected by marriage (spouses) and consanguinity (parents and children). The need to create a family is one of the fundamental, i.e. fundamental, human needs. At the same time, the family performs in society important functions: giving birth and raising children, economic support for minors and the disabled, and much more. Each family member occupies a special position in it, which presupposes appropriate behavior: parents (or one of them) provide a livelihood, manage household chores, and raise children. The children, in turn, study and help around the house. This behavior is regulated not only by family rules, but also by social norms: morality and law. Thus, public morality condemns the lack of care of older family members for younger ones. The law establishes the responsibilities and obligations of spouses towards each other, towards children, and adult children towards elderly parents. The creation of a family and the main milestones of family life are accompanied by established traditions and rituals in society. For example, in many countries, marriage rituals include the exchange of wedding rings between spouses.

The presence of social institutions makes people's behavior more predictable and society as a whole more stable.

In addition to the main social institutions, there are also non-main ones. So, if the main political institution is the state, then the non-main ones are the institution of the judiciary or, as in our country, the institution of presidential representatives in the regions, etc.

The presence of social institutions reliably ensures regular, self-renewing satisfaction of vital needs. A social institution makes connections between people not random or chaotic, but constant, reliable, and sustainable. Institutional interaction is a well-established order social life in the main spheres of human life. The more social needs are satisfied by social institutions, the more developed the society is.

As new needs and conditions arise in the course of the historical process, new types of activities and corresponding connections appear. Society is interested in giving them order and a normative character, that is, in their institutionalization.

In Russia, as a result of reforms at the end of the twentieth century. For example, such a type of activity as entrepreneurship appeared. The streamlining of these activities led to the emergence various types firms, demanded the publication of laws regulating entrepreneurial activity, contributed to the formation of relevant traditions.

IN political life In our country, the institutions of parliamentarism, a multi-party system, and the institution of the presidency arose. The principles and rules of their functioning are enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation and relevant laws.

In the same way, the institutionalization of other emerging last decades types of activities.

It happens that the development of society requires the modernization of the activities of social institutions that historically developed in previous periods. Thus, in the changed conditions, the need arose to solve the problems of introducing the younger generation to the culture in a new way. Hence the steps taken to modernize the institution of education, as a result of which the institutionalization of the Unified State Exam and new content of educational programs may occur.

So we can go back to the definition given at the beginning of this part of the paragraph. Think about what characterizes social institutions as highly organized systems. Why is their structure stable? What is the significance of deep integration of their elements? What is the diversity, flexibility, and dynamism of their functions?

PRACTICAL CONCLUSIONS

1 Society is a highly complex system, and in order to live in harmony with it, it is necessary to adapt (adapt) to it. Otherwise, you cannot avoid conflicts and failures in your life and activities. A condition for adaptation to modern society is knowledge about it, which is provided by a social studies course.

2 It is possible to understand society only if its quality is identified as whole system. To do this, it is necessary to consider various sections of the structure of society (the main spheres of human activity; a set of social institutions, social groups), systematizing, integrating connections between them, features of the management process in a self-governing social system.

3 In real life you will have to interact with various social institutions. To make this interaction successful, you need to know the goals and nature of the activity that has taken shape in the social institution you are interested in. Studying the legal norms governing this type activities.

4 in subsequent sections of the course, characterizing individual spheres of human activity, it is useful to revisit the content of this paragraph in order, based on it, to consider each sphere as part of an integral system. This will help to understand the role and place of each sphere, each social institution in the development of society.

Document

From the work of the modern American sociologist E. Shils “Society and societies: a macrosociological approach.”

What is included in societies? As already said, the most differentiated of them consist not only of families and related groups, but also of associations, unions, firms and farms, schools and universities, armies, churches and sects, parties and numerous other corporate bodies or organizations, which in their turn have boundaries defining the circle of members over whom the respective corporate authorities - parents, managers, chairmen, etc., etc., exercise a certain measure of control. This also includes systems formally and informally organized on a territorial basis - communities, villages, districts, cities, districts - and they all also have some features of society. Further, this includes unorganized groups of people within society - social classes or strata, occupations and professions, religions, linguistic groups - which have a culture inherent in to a greater extent those who have a certain status or occupy a certain position than everyone else.

So, we are convinced that society is not just a collection of united people, primordial and cultural groups interacting and exchanging services with each other. All these groups form a society by virtue of their existence under a common authority, which exercises its control over the territory delineated by borders, supports and enforces more or less general culture. It is these factors that transform a collection of relatively specialized initial corporate and cultural groups into a society.

Questions and tasks for the document

1. What components, according to E. Shils, are included in society? Indicate which areas of society each of them belongs to.
2. Select from the listed components those that are social institutions.
3. Based on the text, prove that the author views society as a social system.

SELF-TEST QUESTIONS

1. What does the concept of “system” mean?
2. How do social (public) systems differ from natural ones?
3. What is the main quality of society as an integral system?
4. What are the connections and relationships of society as a system with the environment?
5. What is a social institution?
6. Characterize the main social institutions.
7. What are the main features of a social institution?
8. What is the significance of institutionalization?

TASKS

1. When changing systems approach, analyze Russian society at the beginning of the twentieth century.
2. Describe all the main features of a social institution using the example of an educational institution. Use the material and recommendations for the practical conclusions of this paragraph.
3. The collective work of Russian sociologists states: “...society exists and functions in diverse forms... The really important question comes down to ensuring that society itself is not lost behind the special forms, or the forests behind the trees.” How does this statement relate to the understanding of society as a system? Give reasons for your answer.

1. Name any three characteristics of society as a dynamic system.

2. What socio-economic formations do Marxists identify?

3. Name three historical type society. By what Are they highlighted?

4. There is a statement: “Everything is for man. It is necessary to produce as many goods as possible for him, and for this we have to “invade” nature, violating the natural laws of its development. Either man is his well-being, or nature and her well-being.

There is no third".

What is your attitude to this judgment? Justify your answer based on knowledge of the social science course, facts of social life and personal experience.

5. Give three examples of the interconnection of global j problems of humanity.

6. Read the text and complete the tasks for it. “Gaining more and more strength, civilization often revealed a clear tendency to impose ideas through missionary activity or direct violence coming from religious, in particular Christian, traditions... Thus, civilization steadily spread across the planet, using all possible ways and means for this - migration, colonization, conquest, trade, industrial development, financial control and cultural influence. Little by little, all countries and peoples began to live according to its laws or created them according to the model established by it...

The development of civilization, however, was accompanied by the flourishing of rosy hopes and illusions that could not be realized... The basis of its philosophy and its actions has always been elitism. And the Earth, no matter how generous it is, is still unable to accommodate the continuously growing population and satisfy more and more of its needs, desires and whims. That is why a new, deeper split has now emerged - between overdeveloped and underdeveloped countries. But even this rebellion of the world proletariat, which seeks to join in the wealth of its more prosperous brethren, takes place within the framework of the same dominant civilization...

It is unlikely that she will be able to withstand this new test, especially now, when her own body is torn apart by numerous ailments. NTR is becoming more and more obstinate, and it is becoming more and more difficult to pacify it. Having endowed us with hitherto unprecedented power and instilled a taste for a level of life that we had never even thought about, NTR sometimes does not give us the wisdom to keep our capabilities and demands under control. And it’s time for our generation to finally understand that now the fate of not individual countries and regions, but of all humanity as a whole depends only on us.”

A. Lenchey

1) What global problems of modern society does the author highlight? List two or three problems.

2) What does the author mean by stating: “Having endowed us with hitherto unprecedented power and instilled a taste for a level of life that we had never even thought about, NTR sometimes does not give us the wisdom to keep our capabilities and demands under control”? Make two guesses.

3) Illustrate with examples (at least three) the author’s statement: “The development of civilization... was accompanied by the flourishing of rosy hopes and illusions that could not come true.”

4) In your opinion, is it possible to overcome the contrast between rich and poor countries in the foreseeable future? Justify your answer.

7. Choose one of the proposed statements and express your thoughts about the problem raised in the form of a short essay.

1. “I am a citizen of the world” (Diogenes of Sinope).

2. “I am too proud of my country to be a nationalist” (J. Voltaire)

3. “Civilization does not consist of more or less sophistication. Not in the consciousness common to an entire people. And this consciousness is never subtle. On the contrary, it is quite healthy. To imagine civilization as the creation of an elite means to identify it with culture, whereas these are completely different things.” (A. Camus).

In philosophy, society is defined as a “dynamic system.” The word “system” is translated from Greek as “a whole made up of parts.” Society as a dynamic system includes parts, elements, subsystems that interact with each other, as well as connections and relationships between them. It changes, develops, new parts or subsystems appear and old ones disappear, they are modified, acquiring new forms and qualities.

Society as a dynamic system has a complex multi-level structure and includes big number levels, sublevels, elements. For example, human society on a global scale includes many societies in the form different states, which in turn consist of various social groups, and a person is included in them.

Consists of four subsystems that are fundamental to man - political, economic, social and spiritual. Each sphere has its own structure and is itself a complex system. So, for example, is a system including great amount components - parties, government, parliament, public organizations and other. But government can also be viewed as a system with many components.

Each is a subsystem in relation to the whole society, but at the same time it is itself a rather complex system. Thus, we already have a hierarchy of the systems and subsystems themselves, that is, in other words, society is a complex system of systems, a kind of supersystem or, as they sometimes say, a metasystem.

Society as a complex dynamic system is characterized by the presence in its composition of various elements, both material (buildings, technical systems, institutions, organizations) and ideal (ideas, values, customs, traditions, mentality). For example, the economic subsystem includes organizations, banks, transport, produced goods and services and, at the same time, economic knowledge, laws, values, and more.

Society as a dynamic system contains a special element, which is its main, system-forming element. This is a person who has free will, the ability to set a goal and choose the means to achieve this goal, which makes social systems more mobile and dynamic than, say, natural ones.

The life of society is constantly in a state of flux. The pace, scale and quality of these changes may vary; There was a time in the history of human development when the established order of things did not change fundamentally for centuries, however, over time, the pace of change began to increase. Compared to natural systems in human society, qualitative and quantitative changes occur much faster, which suggests that society is constantly changing and developing.

Society, like any system, is an ordered integrity. This means that the elements of the system are located within it in a certain position and, to one degree or another, are connected with other elements. Consequently, society as an integral dynamic system has a certain quality that characterizes it as a single whole, having a property that none of its elements has. This property is sometimes called the non-additivity of the system.

Society as a dynamic system is characterized by another feature, which is that it is one of the self-governing and self-organizing systems. This function belongs to the political subsystem, which gives coherence and harmonious relationship to all elements that form the social integral system.