Human Social Animal
1333 words essay on Man is a social animal
Bharat Kumar
Traditionally, there have been two answers to the problem of the relationship between the individual and his society. One is the social contract theory and the other is the organic theory, which we have already discussed in detail.
According to the social contract theory, society is the result of an agreement or contract entered into by men who originally lived in a pre-social state. Thus society is made by man and he is more real than his creation. On the other hand, according to the organic theory, society is an organic. Just as the parts of an animal body are functionally related and none can exist isolated from the rest, similarly, the members of society are functionally related to each other and no one can exist without society.
Hence, the society is more real than the individual is. The relationship between the individual and the society is not one sided as these two theories seem to indicate.
Before we proceed to examine the true relationship between the individual and the society, we may just see in what sense man can be called a social animal. Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, says, "Man is a social animal. He who lives without society is either a beast or a God". Actually, man is by nature and necessity, a social animal, man cannot survive in the absence of society. Society is indispensable for human race. Professor Park says, "Man is not born human but to be made human". Human nature is the result of social interaction in a cultural milieu. Man can be called a social animal on the basis of three important grounds mentioned-below.
1. Man is social by nature
Firstly, man is a social animal by nature. The nature of human being is such that he cannot afford to live alone. No human being is normally developed in isolation. The essential qualities of human nature such as the capacity to acquire knowledge, to learn language, enquire and think; respect and regard, play, and work, help and the
Bharat Kumar
Traditionally, there have been two answers to the problem of the relationship between the individual and his society. One is the social contract theory and the other is the organic theory, which we have already discussed in detail.
According to the social contract theory, society is the result of an agreement or contract entered into by men who originally lived in a pre-social state. Thus society is made by man and he is more real than his creation. On the other hand, according to the organic theory, society is an organic. Just as the parts of an animal body are functionally related and none can exist isolated from the rest, similarly, the members of society are functionally related to each other and no one can exist without society.
Hence, the society is more real than the individual is. The relationship between the individual and the society is not one sided as these two theories seem to indicate.
Before we proceed to examine the true relationship between the individual and the society, we may just see in what sense man can be called a social animal. Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, says, "Man is a social animal. He who lives without society is either a beast or a God". Actually, man is by nature and necessity, a social animal, man cannot survive in the absence of society. Society is indispensable for human race. Professor Park says, "Man is not born human but to be made human". Human nature is the result of social interaction in a cultural milieu. Man can be called a social animal on the basis of three important grounds mentioned-below.
1. Man is social by nature
Firstly, man is a social animal by nature. The nature of human being is such that he cannot afford to live alone. No human being is normally developed in isolation. The essential qualities of human nature such as the capacity to acquire knowledge, to learn language, enquire and think; respect and regard, play, and work, help and the