Something which I have noted, whether rightly or wrongly, is that lots of people on this website seem to resist the (to me) self-evident sociality of being. Does anyone agree? Do you have any idea why, if so? Is it a philosophical stance? Or perhaps an “American” one?
I hope my query is taken in the non-accusatory spirit in which it is intended…
The majority of society consists of average-minded/average-intelligence folk, and hence they do not realise the effects that their actions have on those that know better, and who then end up suffering for society’s actions.
Talking about ‘society’ with contempt is the cool thing right now. It automatically give you +5 points on your deepness meter.
In any case, I like being a part of society. I do not want to bake my own f*cking bread.
Consider our individual freedoms and responsibilities along with our benefits and responsibilities from participating on a team (society). They must be balanced. Currently, society is demanding that we sacrifice too much of our individual freedom, due in large part to the corrupt pursuit of power via government–an ever present liability that society presents. That current increasing imbalance is the source of much of our dissatisfaction with, and fear of, our society.
…society does not always let all in! They shun those who are above or below average: that’s why they deal in averages - if you fall either side of the average then you’re pretty much fucked/excluded from their pathetic little social circles!
…Personally I think it’s wrong to think of society as a unitary, monolithic thing. Average is an entirely dependent concept; depending on the sample taken. Change your sample
Edit: I think that the reason that some people look down on society is it’s a hangover from various 20h century schools of philosophy which argued there has been alot of bad philosophy written about it. The New Marxists were arguing against Capitalist / commercial interpretations, the post structuralists with the structuralists, the postmodernists exposing the problems with various classical models.
Quite alot of people seem to have jumped straight from criticism to rejection. This has been helped by a current in conservative thought that became common in the 70s / 80s that society was irrelevant, only the individual was important. Both, I think, are dying out now. The latter patently failed as a political philosophy (at least in the uk) whereas there are newer ideas taking hold in the popular philosophical consciousness.
Don’t we use averages for a reason? average weight, average height, average looks, average mind and intellect…
Not feeling part of society doesn’t mean that those individuals would neccessarily look down on society, but they’d hardly have an affinity with it, would they…
Society is a monstrous liar.
“If you dont do what is expected we will kick you out. you will be less then us. You will die alone.”
Sheeple lack the courage to set themselves on fire.
Isn’t every single person who have posted here on this website automatically a part of society? I mean, you have to have an ISP to have internet. You have to purchase a computer, or rent one, from another person. Aren’t you a part of a society, then? Sure, it’s the bigger, ‘human’ society, but come on, you’re part of it.
I think we’re confusing general society with specific society - sort of like, I’m a member of my city’s society (general), but I do not qualify to be part of, say, banging three girls at the same time society (specific.) Call me captain obvious, but that’s just what I think about this whole matter of society.
Society is a relationship between people that is all. The image we have of ourself is derived from relationships. The mind is conditioned in this relation. In and of itself this conditioning is not harmful (maybe). But until you see it freedom is not yours.
I think that’s the closest anyone’s come to a coherent answer to my question so far: “society” is a dirty word because it has connotations related to “specific” civilizations, rather than simply to the inherent “sociality of being”.
I have a problem with the way people use the word ‘society’ as explainations of human behavior when the term is imprecise and vauge to the point of meaningless. Instead of actual elucidation words like society or culture become broad and poorly understood labels and are evoked as explainations when they just aren’t. Like GERMS or MEMES, just this huge lable to avoid explainating in detail the ins/outs. ITS dirty just because so many people accept it as an explaination.