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Essay on Man Is a Social Animal

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100 Words Essay on Man Is a Social Animal

The concept of man as a social animal.

Man is a social animal by nature. This means that human beings like to live in groups and communities. It is our inherent ability to understand and connect with others that makes us social.

Importance of Social Interactions

Learning from society.

Living in a society, we learn various skills and values. We learn to communicate, cooperate, and contribute, making us better individuals.

In conclusion, being social is an integral part of being human. It shapes our identity and helps us thrive.

250 Words Essay on Man Is a Social Animal

The innate sociality of man, evolution and sociality.

The evolutionary perspective provides a compelling argument for our social nature. Early humans, for survival, formed groups to hunt, gather, and protect each other. This mutual cooperation and communication led to the development of complex languages, cultures, and social structures. The evolutionary advantage of this sociality is evident in the advanced civilizations we have built.

Socialization and Identity

The process of socialization further affirms our social nature. From infancy, we are taught societal norms and values, shaping our behavior and identity. Through social interaction, we learn to understand and navigate the world around us. This continuous interaction shapes our cognitive development, emotional growth, and overall personality.

The Role of Society

Society plays a pivotal role in fulfilling our basic needs, from physical necessities to psychological desires. The need for love, belonging, and esteem, as outlined in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, is satisfied through our relationships and social roles. Society also provides us with a platform to express our thoughts, ideas, and creativity, contributing to our self-actualization.

In conclusion, the social nature of humans is an integral part of our existence. It is through societal living that we grow, evolve, and realize our potential. As social animals, we are not merely surviving; we are thriving, progressing, and continually shaping the world around us.

500 Words Essay on Man Is a Social Animal

Introduction.

Man, by nature, is a social animal. Humans have always been characterized by the urge to communicate, to establish relationships, and to express complex emotions and thoughts, which has led to the development of diverse cultures, languages, and societal structures. The concept of man as a social animal is deeply embedded in our existence and has profound implications on our understanding of human nature.

The Evolutionary Perspective

The psychological perspective.

From a psychological perspective, the social nature of humans can be observed in our cognitive and emotional development. The renowned psychologist Lev Vygotsky argued that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the process of cognitive development. In contrast to Jean Piaget’s understanding of child development (in which development necessarily precedes learning), Vygotsky felt social learning precedes development.

The Sociocultural Perspective

The sociocultural perspective further emphasizes the social nature of humans. Culture, a unique product of human social interaction, shapes our behavior, values, and beliefs. It provides us with a framework to understand the world, and it influences our perceptions and actions in profound ways. The existence of diverse cultures across the world is a testament to the social nature of humans and our ability to adapt to different social environments.

The Social Animal in the Modern World

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Brief essay on man as a social animal (1097 words).

man is by nature a social animal essay

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Long ago, Aristotle expressed that ‘Man is essentially a social animal by nature’. He cannot live without society, if he does so; he is either beast or God. Man realises his goals, his existence in the society: he finds various ingredients in society through which he can attain the perfectness of the life. The day, he is born to the day he leaves this planet he is in the society.

Social

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Man like ‘Robinson Crusoe’ can never develop his personality, language, culture and ‘inner deep’ by living outside the society. The statement that a man is a social animal implies that man cannot live without society. Society is indispensable for him. He needs society as matter of nature, necessity and for his well being. All these three implications are explained as follows:

1. Man is a social animal by nature. Man’s nature is such that he cannot afford to live alone. No human being is known to have normally developed in isolation. Maclver has cited three cases in which infants were isolated from all social relationships to make experiments about man’s social nature. The first case is of Kaspar Hauser who from his childhood until his seventeenth year was brought up in the woods of Nuremberg.

In his case it was found that at the age of seventeen he could hardly walk, had the mind of an infant and could mutter only a few meaningless phrases. In spite of his subsequent education he could never make himself a normal man.

The second case was of two Hindu children who in 1929 were discovered in a wolf den. One of the children died soon after discovery. The other child could walk only on all four, possessed no language except wolf like growls. She was shy of human being and afraid of them. It was only after careful and sympathetic training that she could learn some social habits.

The third case was of Anna, an illegitimate American child who had been placed in a room at the age of six months and discovered five years later. On discovery it was found that she could not walk or speak and was indifferent to people around her.

These cases prove that human being is social by nature. Human nature develops in man only when he lives in society, only when he shares with his fellow beings a common life. The accounts of the noble savage free from all social restraints living in woods and appeasing his appetite with the fruits are idyllic tales devoid of all historical value. Even the sadhus who have retired from worldly life live in the company of their fellows in the forest.

All this tends to show that society is something which fulfills a vital need in man’s constitution, it is not something accidentally added to or super imposed on human nature. His very existence is wielded into the fabrics of society. He knows himself and his fellow beings within the framework of society. Indeed, man is social by nature.

2. Man lives in society because necessity compels him so. Many of his needs will remain unsatisfied if he does not have the cooperation of his fellow beings. Every individual is the off- spring of a social relationship established between man and woman. The child is brought up under the care of his parents and learns the lessons of citizenship in their company.

If the newborn’ baby does not receive protection and attention by the society, he would not survive even a day. We get our needs of food, shelter arid clothing fulfilled only by living and cooperating with others. The stories of cases cited above prove that people reared among animals away from human beings remained animals in habits. The importance of society for physical and mental development is thus obvious. No one can become a human being unless he lives with human beings.

Fear of wild animal makes some seek cooperation of other; the satisfaction of food hunger, rest-hunger etc. through exchange or barter may bring some into relation; joint action and division of labour may be found necessary for the achievement of some common end which the individual alone may not be able to secure. The need for self-preservation, which is felt by every being makes a man social. Therefore, it is not due to his nature alone but also due to his necessities that man lives in society.

3. Man lives in society for his mental and intellectual development. Society preserves our culture and transmits it to succeeding generations. It both liberates and limits our- potentialities as individuals and moulds our attitudes, our beliefs, our morals and ideals.

The mind of a man without society, as feral cases show, remains the mind of an infant even at the age of adulthood. The cultural heritage directs our personality. Thus society fulfills not only our physical needs but also determines our mental equipment.

It therefore stands established beyond any doubt that man is a social animal. Man requires society as a sine qua non condition for his life as a human being. It is not one or a few particular needs or tendencies of man that compel him to live in society but without it his personality cannot come into being.

On the basis of the above discussion it may be concluded that individuals and society are interdependent. The relationship between them is not one-sided; both are essential for the comprehension of other. Neither the individuals belong to society as cells belong to the organism, not the society a mere contrivance to satisfy certain human needs. Neither the society itself has a value beyond the service which it renders to its members, not the individuals can thrive without society.

Neither the society is inimical to the development of individuality, nor it exists in its own right. In fact, both are complementary and supplementary to each other. Cooley writes: “A separate individual is an obstruction unknown to experience and individuals. Society and individuals do not denote separate phenomena but are simply collective and distributive aspects of the same thing.”

Explaining the relationship between individual and society Marcher observes: “Society with all the traditions, the institutions, the equipment it provides a great changeful order of social life, arising from the psychological as well as the physical needs of the individual, an order wherein human beings are born and fulfill themselves with whatever limitations and wherein they transmit to coming generations the requirement of living. We must reject any view of this pattern that sees the relationship between individual and society from merely one or the other side”.

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Aristotle: 'Man is by nature a political animal.'

Man is by nature a political animal.

Aristotle's quote "Man is by nature a political animal" is a profound reflection on human nature and the inherent sociable and communal tendencies that define us as a species. Essentially, Aristotle is asserting that humans are naturally inclined towards living in communities, forming social structures, and engaging in political life. This quote underscores the importance of politics and the role it plays in shaping human interactions and facilitating the organization of society.At its core, the quote highlights the interconnectedness of individuals within a society and the inherent need for human beings to engage in collective decision-making processes. It emphasizes how our social and political engagements are not just superficial constructs but rather fundamental aspects of our identity and nature. By recognizing the political dimension of human existence, Aristotle invites us to reflect on the ways in which our interactions with others shape our sense of self and our place within the broader community.However, to delve deeper into the complexities of human nature and the concept of political animality, it is intriguing to introduce the philosophical concept of existentialism. Existentialism challenges traditional views on human nature and politics by emphasizing individual freedom, responsibility, and the struggle to find meaning in a seemingly indifferent universe. While Aristotle emphasizes the communal aspects of human existence, existentialism delves into the subjective experience of the individual and the quest for authenticity in a world filled with uncertainties.The contrast between Aristotle's idea of humans as political animals and existentialist views on individual autonomy and authenticity presents a thought-provoking juxtaposition. On one hand, Aristotle's assertion resonates with our natural inclination towards social relationships and communal living. On the other hand, existentialism prompts us to question the limits of societal structures and political systems in defining who we are as individuals.In exploring these contrasting perspectives, we come to appreciate the complexity of human nature and the multifaceted ways in which we navigate our social and political identities. While Aristotle highlights the importance of our communal ties and political engagements, existentialism challenges us to question the authenticity of our roles within these systems and invites us to reflect on the freedom we have in shaping our own destinies.Ultimately, the quote by Aristotle serves as a starting point for a deeper philosophical inquiry into the nature of human existence and the complexities of political life. By juxtaposing this classical perspective with the existentialist critique, we gain a more nuanced understanding of the dynamics of human nature and the intricate interplay between individual autonomy and collective belonging in shaping our identities and societies.

Warren Buffett: 'Our favorite holding period is forever.'

Henry david thoreau: 'do not be too moral. you may cheat yourself out of much life so. aim above morality. be not simply good be good for something.'.

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Man as a social animal.

man is by nature a social animal essay

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Introduction:

Man is a social animal and that, he loves to live in society with other human beings, is a general conception about his basic behavioural pattern. Almost all sociological thinkers agree that there is a very close relation between the individual and the society. Whether any particular individual could have been nurtured under conditions in which there did not exist any society is a different question; but the fact remains that without a social environment, be it his home, his community or his state, no stability would be brought to his status as an individual.

One would almost conclude from the foregoing statement that the individual is a product of society. Instantly, other thinkers would raise a hue and cry that the truth is just the contrary, that is, the society is the product of an individual and another.

As McIver says, it may be pointless to enter into the controversy as to whether the individual came before the society, or the society came before the individual. We would like rather to concentrate our attention on the causes of the growth of the society and the role of the individual in it.

Of the several theories that seek to explain the relation between the society and the individual, the ‘theory of the Social Contract’ seeks to give a historicist explanation to the matter. Enunciated in the seventeenth century by Thomas Hobbes in his The Leviathan, the theory conceives of a pre-society state of nature in which strife and killing was the rule, and man’s life was ‘poor, solitary, nasty, brutish and short’.

Quite naturally, therefore, man wanted to escape from the condition and a relation was consequently built up between human beings in the form of a social contract. The contract not only established a relation between them, but each individual suffered in himself a demolition of irresponsibility and brutish behaviour.

When in the eighteenth century, Rousseau took up the concept of social contract and made certain departures from Hobbesian thought on the point as also from Althusius’s though, the latter regarded society as a product of a contract naturally made between human beings. Rousseau’s state of nature was a free world in which unlimited human bliss did not at first motivate man to think in terms of a contract.

Gradually, when population increased and the concept of personal property was gaining recognition, in order to protect himself, man voluntarily made the social contract. Individual will was then, for collective good, made subject to collective will. John Locke, too, believed that the pre-contract state of society was the state of nature in which peace and harmony prevailed and every man was born free.

There was a natural order that guided man’s actions, but no sanction existed for the punishment of any violation of any natural law. This brought about the social contract and the society, though Locke did not equate the society with the Govern­ment.

The social contract theories were from time to time enunciated for the purpose of justifying either a new ruler’s course of action after the overthrow of a legitimate one, or to encourage the popular mass in rising up in arms against the establishment. In that sense, the theory is basically a political thought and, as McIver quite righty points out, the theory is not based on any analysis of historical facts.

Besides that, the theory separates the individual from the society and would almost make the assumption of the existence of the individual before the society. Sociologists do not agree that man could ever have lived without a social consciousness.

The ‘Organismic theory’ of society is another attempt at establishing the origin of man’s social behaviour. Spencer holds that society can be likened to a physical organism that exhibits the same kind of unity that an individual organism shows, and it is subject to similar laws of development, maturity and decay.

The limbs and organs would be the different associations and institutions. Like Spencer and the Bluntschli, even some thinkers of this century like Oswald Spengler (in The Decline of the West) subscribe to the organismic theory, though with certain modifications. Some modify the theory in order to explain the analogy only so far as the organic processes of birth, youth, maturity, old age and death are concerned.

Spengler, finds an organic cycle in societies that pass from birth to death. To these thinkers, the individual is a mere manifestation of organism that is society, and his entire life and will must be subjected to it.

Spencer, however, explains his theory by allowing the individual more of independent attributes; he thinks that though the individual and the society are one, each has his own set of actions and individuals collectively execute their functions in the interest of the society. Just as a biological organism cannot function healthily if any part of it is weak or strained, a society too depends on the harmonized activities of all individuals.

Sociologists in general do not find the organismic theory as entirely satisfactory, since a comparison between an organic cell and a human individual is stretched too far. An individual has a self; he can think for himself independently of society, which process is unthinkable in the case of a mere cell. Besides that, the organismic theory stresses the importance of social unity to such an extent that individual qualities are underscored or even obliterated.

If one would speak of the interests of a society, even in terms of social unity, one cannot but refer to such interests as are felt by every individual in such society. Therefore, the organismic theory is best understood as long as it recognizes the fact of reliance of the individual upon the society, and it would be wrong to stretch the comparison any further than that.

Other theories relating to the origin and the nature of society include the one connected with man’s ‘Herd-instinct’ and the concept of the ‘group mind’. Some writers like Mc Dougall maintain that social behaviour is determined by man’s social instincts, while others feel that social behaviour is the result of the social environment into which man is born.

The herd-instinct theory explains the concept of man being a social animal in his tendency to herd together and to suffer in conditions of isolation. This instinct is present in animals too, but in the case of man it is extended to other sensibilities also.

Man is capable of reacting to the attitudes of others in society towards him, that is, to attitudes of friendliness or hostility; he has an inborn quality to adapt himself to his social environment. Galton explains the quality of gregariousness in man with the help of the example of the Damara ox which would show signs of desperation when separated from its kind. Man’s herd-instinct may not be that acute, but possesses the instinct as his basic quality.

Some writers maintain that while man has a herd-instinct, he also enjoys the power to adapt himself to his social environment. In other works, he does not merely like to live with his fellow beings; he is capable of establishing a definite mode of relationship with them. The theory of ‘Social induction’ explains the stages in which an individual would respond to certain tendencies in moulding his social behaviour.

First, he would develop the tendency of ‘suggestion’, that is, the tendency to respond by an acceptance of opinions expressed by other people. In the next stage, he would respond emotionally to the expression of the feelings of other people, and this is known, as the ‘sympathy” stage. Finally, he develops the tendency to ‘imitate’ the behaviour and activities of other people.

Another theory that explains social relationships is that of ‘Dominance and Submission’. In any group, these opposite tendencies may determine social relations, and, therefore, while some would seek to dominate, others would submit, and this relation may be transmitted serially, that is, from A to B. from B to C, C to D, and so on. However, no individual may be characterized by qualities of either dominance or submission alone. An individual may be submissive in some matters and dominating with regard to other matters. A person may be so negative in his psychological traits that he will be neither dominating nor submissive.

The ‘Group-Mind’   theory merely replaces the concept of society as an organism by the thought that society has a collective or a group mind. Emile Durkheim maintains that this social mind or the group mind is an entity that is quite distinct from the mind or the mental processes of every individual in it. Once again, like the organismic theory, it is a mere metaphorical appreciation of facts.

McDougall’s submission that ‘every society is capable of having a group mind or an organized system of mental or purposive forces’ has not been accepted by several writers. They maintain that in the case of a group decision, one would notice that the decision is truly being taken by some leading individual or by some dominant majority.

The group then becomes a mere instrument for giving expression to his or their own opinions or wills. A true group-mind is a condition of unanimity which might have been obtained in certain primitive societies. In modern times, a consensus is the closest approximation to the concept of the group-mind.

In the final analysis, one would say that in social relations neither the society nor the individual has its own distinct importance, for one is manifestly linked with the other. While society as a unit has its importance, the individual has no less significance in the context. A class of students is indeed a group but, as the class cannot be constituted without individual students, an individual student has no group importance without the class. Hence, the society exists for the individual as much as the individual exists for the society.

Individual and Society:

In the growth and development of the individual, the role of the society may be explored by taking into consideration that, though man is a social animal, he is not born as such. In his initial stages, his basic needs determine the course of his living. A child in its early years is not conscious of the culture into which it is born, but in the later stages he is gradually moulded by his environment and the social institutions around him.

According to the German philosopher, Fichte, man acquires his human qualities only after coming into contact with society. It will be found in the course of our discussion on culture and personality that an individual’s personality will be determined mainly by the culture which has been his social environment.

Therefore, it is maintained by several thinkers that the individual is a social product. It is undeniable that the society, even the primitive one, shapes and moulds the course of life of the individual. A child, when it comes to this world, has no sensibility of social relations; but by the time it reaches adulthood it places upon itself the imprint of the .ways of its society. Sociologists have studied the cases of certain individuals, who did not have the benefit of society from their childhood and consequently did not develop signs of social consciousness and behaviour.

In Germany, one Kaspar Hauser remained without any social contact till the age of seventeen, and when he happened to wander into the city of Nuremberg in 1828 he could hardly walk; he had the mind of an infant and took, inanimate objects for living beings. He spoke no language but, like an animal, could make certain inarticulate sounds.

After his death, a postmortem study revealed that his brain development was subnormal. The wolf girls, Amala and Kamala, discovered from wolf den in India in 1920 were similarly subnormal. Amala died soon after she came into human contact, but Kamala lived for a few years, walking on all fours, devoid of all human qualities and even apprehensive of human contact. Initially, the child did not have any consciousness of her human self, but gradually a development of a kind of human individuality took place in her.

The third example is that of Anna, an illegitimate American child who was kept isolated in a room at the age of six months. She was given a diet of milk and little else for five years and, when after the period »as brought out of confinement, she could not walk or speak and was completely indifferent to people around her.

As she was trained later, she rapidly developed human qualities’ establishing the argument that the human being develops his human nature only when he is in society, sharing a life in common with other fallow beings.

It must be considered how the child goes through a process of socialization. However, initially we have to come to the inescapable conclusion that the unit- whole relationship of the individual and the society is essential to the growth of the self and the personality of the human being.

In the couse of his growth, as the child advances from making a few sounds to uttering articulate language, the individual too replaces his egocentric thoughts by a rational co-ordination, as Jean Piaget calls k. of his ideas with those that are of the society, the individual realizing that, whatever he is, he B a mere part of his society.

Every individual is a product of a pre­determined social relationship. He is neither the beginning, nor the end; he is a link in the succession of life not only in the biological sense but in the sociological one too. He is born on the soil of this earth no doubt, but the picture becomes complete when we relate his nature and nurture to his social environment or his social heritage.

Therefore, when Aristotle, says that man is a social animal, and we agree with the statement, were merely comprehend the fundamental interdependence of the individual and his social heritage. As McIver says, an individual personality would have no meaning without society and the support of the social heritage.

The Process of Socialization:

It has already been noted that a child is not born with social consciousness and that he gradually acquires with his growth a sense of social relationship that leads him to variegated experiences. In this way not only is the child socialized, he is able to maintain a distinct link between the generations; and without a stable link between the different generations, stability of a society is unthinkable.

Kingsley Davis maintains that without the process of socialization, no individual can become his human self, that is, social self. Bogardus thinks that through socialization individuals not only establish an inter-relationship between themselves, but begin to consider their mutual welfare and carry out their respective social responsibilities.

McIver contends that the social heritage determines the self of the individual and socialization helps the individual to build up organisations for the purpose of establishing and maintaining relations between themselves. Hence, the process of socialization helps to develop the individual as also to make him conscious of his social obligations befitting his role in the society.

Socialization, therefore, is the process that makes an individual conscious of his ‘social self’ and of his ‘role’ in the society. A functional pre-requisite of a society is the integration of the activities of individuals and the ordering of social relations. There will be a co-ordination in a society of the different statuses and roles that different individuals will be required to assume. Learning the social role is, therefore, one of the primary obligations of a social individual and. in this regard, the child begins with the ‘self-role’.

Charles Cooley explains the concept of this ‘self ‘as ‘I, me and myself and advances the ‘looking-glass’ theory of its realization. According to him, for the child there is a looking-glass process according to which he develops the idea of his ‘self’.

In this process, there are three elements:

(i ) The self-imagines its appearance to the other person;

(ii) It imagines the judgment of that imagined appearance of itself, and

( iii ) It cultivates some sort of self-feeling, either pride or mortification, that is induced by that judgment. Johnny knows that his mother finds him smart.

The mother’s judgment becomes his own thought about his self, and he feels proud about it. He would feel distressed even about his true good looks if he has heard people despising his appearance.

Another theory relating to the self is the one advanced by George Herbert Mead, and it is known as ‘the taking the role of the other’. According to Mead, ‘self’ develops by taking the role of the other. At first, the child takes the role of the parents and then of other like playmates, teachers and friends; and in each of these stages the child steps into the other person s shoes and looks at himself through his own eyes.

In other words, it develops attitudes towards itself through the attitude of the other. A variant of role-taking is ‘playing-at-a-role; as Mead puts it. A child plays with her doll and imagines herself to be its mother. She cannot be the true mother but, in her conversation with the doll, she tries to express her mother’s wishes as they would be in her own context. She is, during the play, both the doll and her mother, that is, both her own self and her mother’s self. In this process, she is able to develop her attitudes towards herself.

The process of a socialization to a large extent determines the nature of the ‘status’ that the child seems to acquire through his association with his family, his school and other organizations. In this regard, his ‘initial status’ in the family is of signal importance, for that may determine his healthy development or otherwise.

If, in the course of his socialization, the child is obstructed by the members of the family, and his initial status in the family is not earned, the process remains incomplete and his healthy growth is ruled out. If his parents cannot accept him with ‘all the imperfections on his head’, in later life too his power of adjustability with new environments will remain inadequate.

He becomes hostile to his social surroundings and problems of ‘deviance’ may arise. Similarly, if the parents either pamper or unwittingly suppress the personality of a child, it will have corresponding adverse effects. If parents confidently refer to a child, there is every possibility of the child growing up as a confident man.

On the other hand, a mother who refers to her child as a ‘shy one’ or a ‘modest little thing’ while another offspring is labelled as a ‘ray of sunshine’, clearly ensures the defective growth of the former and the development of an egotistic self in the latter. Some writers have called this the development of ‘the self-other attitude’. What is meant is that our self-attitudes are initially the attitudes of the other members of our family. Even though a person’s self is changing constantly, the ‘looking-glass’ experiences are important in the development of his personality.

Freud holds that the social relations of a child are primarily determined by his family environment. Just as healthy soil determines the healthy growth of a child, appropriate environment is required for completing the process of socialization of a child. It is being suggested that the family environment is the only determinant in the process of socialiaztion; other associations and organizations to which he is exposed  in later life will have their share in the act of socially moulding the child.

When an I experimenter seeks to measure the effects of environment upon a child as distinct I from his hereditary traits, he cannot fail to observe the effect of socialization upon I him. When even monozygotic twins, or identical twins as they are called, are reared apart, they are seen to have developed different mental abilities and responses. This should emphasize the importance of socialization in developing the individual.

Individuality and Society:

The term ‘individuality’ is capable of several interpre­tations, according to the different senses in which it may be applied. In the physical sense, it has the characteristics of a unit, detached from others. In the biological sense, the term stands for a living creature that is able to respond to external stimuli and control itself. An organism that has a few simple reactions will possess, therefore, less of individuality than the one that is organized, like man, to finer and more sensitive reactions to external surroundings.

However, the term in the sociological sense means that a human being does not merely imitate and that his social responses are not merely spontaneous as those of a slave of habit. It is an attribute that exposes the ‘self of an individual in the society, in spite of such society.

One does not mean by individuality the divergence of the behaviour of the human being from the rest in society; it means, in its true analysis, the power to act according to one’s own consciousness and with his own interpretation of social relationships. As McIver says, the degree in which he possesses and manifests these qualities is the degree in which he possesses individuality.

Individuality, in the sociological sense, is less marked in a primitive society than in the more organized and complex ones. In fact, in a modern complex society there is a greater demand for and recognition of, individuality.

Apart from the fact that even in the expression of our language one distinctly notices the stamp of individuality, and so perhaps in many spheres of life, one cannot afford to disagree with the proposition that it would be a tedious matter to have every member of the society endowed with like capabilities.

If all men were to think alike and to work alike, progress in society would be halted, and this helps to explain why for several centuries man did not advance in civilization by many degrees. One may venture to say that the absence of individuality accounted for the slow advance of the primitive community.

The task of the sociologist is not to find out whether or not a person really enjoys the freedom in society to cultivate his individuality; that is for the politician to build up his polemics upon.

But the sociologist most certainly has to take into account the importance of the following questions in his study of the individual – society relationship:

(I) Can any society truly and completely integrate individuals within the social order? One may hold the view that interests of different individuals will always result in conflicts and clashes, and social harmony can hardly be achieved. We may strive to achieve the harmony and the integration which the primitive society knew at least temporarily, but the prominence of the cult of individuality will always be a treat to social integration.

(2) Can any society be allowed to suppress and frustrate individuality, well- established norms and ideals, whether they be folkways, mores or codes, impose a tyranny upon the self and baulk its expansion? So often we hear that creative impulses are being checked by the fixed demands of society and its standards.

Standardization itself can be ruinous of novelty and, without novelty, society tends to remain static. A compromise between the wishes of the society and the urge for individuality must be achieved. It must be remembered that society is a condition for the development of individuality, that is, no individuality divorced from society is worth its salt. Therefore, no society stands to lose in the context of the growth of individuality; on the contrary, individuality in society can in more ways than one help the progress of the society.

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Man is by Nature a Political Animal Essay

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Man is by nature a political animal

Does Aristotle succeed in showing that the state is natural and that man is by nature a political animal? To comprehensively answer this question, it would be useful to acquire a concise over view of the subject in question.

Aristotle is described as the archetypal and quintessential theorist who played an integral role in the golden age of Greek philosophy. Aristotle was a philosopher, logistician, theorist and thinker. This description is incomplete as it paints the picture of an intellectual giant without regard to the human facet of his character. It is intimated that, in addition to being a philosopher of note, Aristotle was also an affectionate husband, a loving father to two children and a good friend to a great many people. (Anagnostopoulos, 2009)

It is logical to postulate that Aristotle’s treatises and dissertations were influenced to a certain extent by his early life and upbringing. Remarkably, despite his many achievements, there is no comprehensive biography that has been written about the life of Aristotle. However, according to Anagnostopoulos (2009), Aristotle was born in 384 BCE in a Greek village called Stagira.

He was the last of three children born to a father who was a physician and a mother who was said to be of aristocratic descent. Aristotle grew up in Pella where his father had been appointed to serve as the king’s doctor. This upbringing may have influenced his view point, in his later writings; the philosopher would regularly express his dislike for kings and courts.

In the past, medicine was a profession that was handed down from father to son. Consequently, this fact is what equipped Aristotle with a scientific orientation. At the age of seventeen, Aristotle chose to leave Pella for Athens in an attempt to broaden the scope of his education. In Athens, the philosopher studied under the master, Plato. Their relationship was said to have been turbulent and marked with several disagreements. However, Aristotle learnt a lot from him and stayed in Athens with Plato until his death. (Sorabji, 1990)

In the years following the death of Plato, Aristotle quickly gained the reputation of being a leading thinker, philosopher and intellectual in the city of Athens.

This reputation prompted the philosopher to be appointed as the tutor for Alexander, a Macedonian prince. This prince grew up to become Alexander the great. In later years, after Alexander had become king, he embarked on the conquest of other areas in the region. Aristotle was opposed to this move and in reaction to this, he returned to Athens where he founded the Lyceum, a pioneer school of philosophy.

The theories that were advanced by Aristotle fundamentally changed virtually all disciplines that he dealt with. Estimates indicate that, Aristotle may have written in excess of 200 dissertations, unfortunately, of this number, only about 31 have survived to the present day.

According to Anton and Preus (1992), these dissertations, were not intended for public circulation as they are in the form of initial drafts for manuscripts and lecture notes. For this reason, the materials are not the best demonstration of the Aristotle refined prose style which was a hallmark of his writings. This refined prose style is the reason that has been cited as main attraction of many of Aristotle’s followers, the ranks of which included the Roman statesman, Cicero.

Aristotle is associated with many notable achievements. Among these is the fact that the philosopher was the first to catalog knowledge into a number of separate disciplines, for instance, botany, biology and metaphysics, a system that is still in use today. The philosopher has also been recognized through the ages as the undisputed pioneer in the study and application of the system of logic.

This school of thought contends that, it is possible to ascertain the validity of any given position or argument by examining its structure as opposed to its content. This logic, known as deductive reasoning, holds the view that, on condition that the premises of a particular argument are true, it follows that, the conclusion that is drawn, is bound to be true as well.

This type of logic was in use for thousands of years, until the advancement of other forms of logic, such as predicate and propositional logic. (Copleston, 2003) Aristotle was also credited with making significant contributions to the disciplines of metaphysics, mathematics, biology, ethics, medicine, biology and politics. It is a little known fact that Aristotle also made noteworthy contributions to the disciplines of poetry, theater and dance. (Ackrill, 1997)

Thousands of years later, Aristotle’s dissertations are still highly relevant to the modern world. Aristotle has been credited with a number of assertions; one of the most famous is his contention that man is a political animal and that the state is natural. The question is did the philosopher succeed in showing that the state is natural and that man is by nature a political animal?

Aristotle body of work included a discourse about the concept of a state. The word state has its entomological root in the Latin language where is derived from the word; ‘status’, which was used to designate a particular condition or a particular type of status. The concept of the state system of government can be traced back to Ancient Greece. Ancient Greece was not a single state but was a number of small regions that were referred to as city states.

The Greek word for the city state was ‘polis’, this word was the root for the word ‘politics’ that is widely in use in modern times. The ancient Greek city states such as Sparta, Athens and Thebes were the major urban centers and operated independently from the other city states. The concept of a state is also associated with the ancient Romans. The concept of the state in Rome was pioneered by Cicero who was a Roman constitutional framer, philosopher, political theorist, lawyer and statesman.

He was also a notable orator and a formidable essayist (Everitt, 2003) in those times, the phrase, “status reipublicae” was used in reference to the condition or nature of public matters. Gradually, the word ceased to have a relation to certain social groups and began to be used to the legitimate societal order and the mechanisms that were in use to ensure the enforcement of this stipulated order.

The popular adoption of the usage of the word state, as it is used n modern times can be attributed, to a certain extent to the writings of the Italian theorist, Nichollo Machiavelli. In his groundbreaking book, the prince, Machiavelli the usage of the word in several instances ensured its relatively widespread adoption.

The definition of what can be termed to be a state is a matter of endless controversy. At the moment, there is no consensus or agreement about what exactly constitute definition of the term.

Despite this, we can establish that the term describes a particular set of intertwined theories that are advanced to describe certain phenomena of a political nature. The lack of consensus in the question of definition is a result of the fact that varying definitions translate to varying theories about the functions of the state and consequently seem to authorize and certify varying political strategies.

However, of all the definitions that are currently in use, the most widely accepted is the definition that was proposed by the prominent sociologist, Max Weber. According to Weber, the term state is used in reference to a compulsory political association that is characterized by a centralized government that upholds control over the legal use of force in a given region (Oppenheimer, 1999).

There are many different types of states. The first of these is sovereign states. Sovereign states are states that exclusively uphold control over the legal use of force without being dependent on another state. In contrast, there are states that are dependent on other states. Other states have joined together with other states to form a federated union. In these states, the constitutional powers have been relegated to a federal authority (Ibid).

It is common practice for most people to use the terms state, nation and government interchangeably. This is a fundamentally flawed mindset. The government is distinguished by the fact that it is a specific group of people who are tasked with the responsibility of administration over a given geographical location. A government is also a term that is used in reference to the modes that a state power uses to achieve set out goals.

In essence, a government is a number of people who make decisions on behalf of members of the public. Governments are also charged with the responsibility of making laws and legislature for the public. Furthermore, the government has the exclusive right to arbitrate in cases of conflicts between members of the public. States are also a separate concept from nations which is a term that is used to describe a big geographical locality and the people who inhabit the region and consider that they share a distinct and separate identity.

This comprehensive definition of what the conceptualization of a state is mainly refers to the state as it exists in modern times. However, Aristotle’s dissertations on the state were written hundreds of years ago. Scholars propose that the philosopher’s early life and training must have had a significant effect on the way he perceived issues.

For instance, Aristotle had the benefit of traveling widely in areas such as Crete and the Island of Lesbos. (Booth, 1981) These extensive travels offered the philosopher the benefit of wide experiences that probably inspired in him his pro-democracy leanings and his in the monarchial system of government.

Aristotle writes a comprehensive discourse about the question of politics and in addition, he theorizes about the condition of the state. (Barnes et al, 1981) to the philosopher, a state can be conceptualized in terms of four diverse causes. The most important of these is the fact that the state exists as a community which is described as a society that is made up of a number of different parts each of which have a specific functions and which work together for the achievement of a certain goal.

Furthermore, according to Aristotle, the state is made up of citizens, in conjunction with natural resources. The philosopher also underscores the essential necessity of a constitution and a ruler in a state. Aristotle contends that a state is like every other community exists for the purposes of benefit or good for the society.

These illustrations serve to comprehensively address the question, “does Aristotle succeed in showing that the state is natural?” The answer to this conundrum is a resounding yes! Aristotle on his treatise on political theory express his in depth insight into the workings of the state mechanisms, indeed, the philosopher asserts that a state is a natural production. (Bookman, 1992) The philosopher’s view is still applicable to the current political dispensation despite the fact that the view was advanced centuries ago.

This particular quote of Aristotle has been often quoted throughout history. This implies that the meaning of the phrase is transparently clear, however, this is not the case. The phrase though simple at face value is associated with a number of ambiguities that are yet to be resolved.

The phrase was originally advanced by the philosopher in a book that was one of the earliest zoological texts. In the book, Aristotle sets out a broad categories and distinctions between different animals based on their characteristics. He proposes that there animal that are gregarious and those that are solitary. In addition, he proposes that there are animals that are scattered and those that are political.

In the book, Aristotle concluded that the good life for human beings consisted in part, of philosophical contemplation that can be undertaken independent of other human beings. It also consisted of the application of social values which can only find expression in the company of other people. Drawing on this, Aristotle classifies human beings as gregarious and political, and thus the statement, man is a political animal.

Aristotle’s assertion that man is a political animal is an expression that man is a political being. This assertion is used in reference to the fact that human beings unlike any others, are best suited for pursuing a life in politics. This implies that the human psyche and mental capacity, more than any other is crafted for the purposes of political expression. A typical illustration of this is the fact that human beings have the innate capacity for the essential function of reasoned speech.

Moreover, Aristotle asserted that the human being is a political being because human beings are born with a desire to congregate together and effect changes in their lives and those of others, a desire that can only find expression in the practice of politics. In conclusion, Aristotle’s assertion that man is a political animal served to highlight the fact that, naturally, unlike any other, human beings are well suited to the practice of politics.

These illustrations conclusively affirm that Aristotle convincingly succeeds in showing us that man is a political animal. This assertion still holds true despite the fact that the philosopher advanced the view centuries ago.

The answer to the question, “does Aristotle succeed in showing that the state is natural and that man is by nature a political animal?” is a categorical yes! The illustrations given serve to assert the fact the philosopher’s views remain relevant and timely regardless of the fact that Aristotle made the contentions centuries in the past.

Ackrill, J. L. (1997) Essays on Plato and Aristotle. New York: Oxford University Press Inc.

Anagnostopoulos, G. (2009) A companion to Aristotle. UK: Blackwell Publishing Inc.

Anton, J. P & Preus, A. (1992) Essays in Ancient Greek Philosophy V: Aristotle’s Ontology Albany: State University of New York Press.

Barnes, J, Malcolm, S and Richard, S. Articles on Aristotle, Vol. 2: Ethics and Politics .London: Duckworth.

Bookman, J. T. (1992) The Wisdom of the Many : An Analysis of the Arguments of Books III and IV of Aristotle’s Politics, History of Political Though t, XIII.

Booth, W. J. (1981) Politics and the Household: A Commentary on Aristotle’s Politics, Book I,” History of Political Thought, II. 2. NY. Macmillan.

Copleston, F. C. (2003) A history of philosophy, Volume 1. NY: Continuum books Inc.

Everitt, A. (2003) Cicero: the life and times of Rome’s greatest politician. nd. Random House.

Oppenheimer, F. (1999) The state: its history and development viewed sociologically. NJ: Transaction Publishing Inc.

Sorabji, R. (1990) Aristotle transformed: the ancient commentators and their influence Cornell. nd. University Press.

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Man Is A Social Animal (Essay Sample)

Man is a social animal.

Firstly, branding a man a social animal is befitting. Our physical appearance is very close to some other animals. We have a very close relation to other primates like chimpanzees genetically. The major difference between humans and other animals such as chimpanzees is the size and complexity of our brain. The evolution theory asserts that humans evolved from primitive life creatures and they continue to evolve even today. Evolution explains that the physical and behavioral attributes shown by the modern man have resulted from millions of years of evolution. Our brains have enabled us to adapt to the environment and modify it to suit our needs. One of the most important evolutionary behavioral characteristic humans have demonstrated is their ability to live in social circles. Though there are many other animals which live in distinctive social circles, humans have managed though partially to be one big family unlike other animals which live in smaller groups. This is because of various reasons.

Man has a big brain and through evolution has understood the importance of living in circles. Big circles give humans a competitive advantage and survival edge against the natural adversities. Therefore, humans have noted that the bigger the social circle, the higher their chances of survival in case of an unfortunate eventuality. It gives them a bigger chance of survival and numbers can help them resist a danger that would exterminate a single human. Therefore, through evolution, humans continued being social as it increased their chances of survival and to date this primal instinctual behavior has remained ingrained in our lives.

Humans are not self-sufficient and they are interdependent. No one can produce everything he needs for survival and therefore depends on other people to provide it for him/her. Everyone seems to be in need of a product or service that is in control of another person and being social is crucial to obtaining it. Trade is barely possible in an antisocial environment. We also need each other for security and for meeting our own needs. For example, to ensure you eat you need food that cost many man hours to produce. You in provide other services that cost you your time to produce. Therefore, man cannot exist alone and needs the input from the other people to meet his/her own basic needs.

Additionally, humans have found their interdependence indispensable to their survival. They have understood its benefits and continually enhanced their social interactions to reap more of these rewards they gain from bigger social circles. They have opened up their borders to strangers, their cultures and goods to interact with them and seek opportunities in these interactions. They have constructed new tools to facilitate their interactions such as common currency and language as they seek to expand their social circles.

Today, humans are more social than ever before. They have understood the importance of other peoples in improving their lives. Our sociality has enabled us to colonize our planet and rule over the other creatures. We have understood and developed better ways to interact that bring us together as a species and consolidated our efforts to achieve greater things. Though some people are watering down this progress through various avenues, their progress has been negligible and is not likely to succeed. Humans are social and they understand the benefits of this behavioral characteristic that has given them an edge over their enemies. As more and better tools of interactions continue to come up, it is imperative that we heed the call to build stronger and tighter social circles that are more capable to withstand antisocial rhetoric since we understand the value of socialness better than any other species.

man is by nature a social animal essay

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Man as a social animal

Sociology is the science of society with various areas of specialisation. research in this discipline is mostly based on experience or experiments rather than theories..

March 12, 2012 07:47 pm | Updated 07:47 pm IST

There is a popular misunderstanding that research is confined to science and technology. Even students who pursue studies in humanities are often not aware of the rich facilities for research in their chosen discipline. We have several institutions that offer opportunities for research in social sciences.

Aristotle the legendary Greek philosopher said, “Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual.”

Man cannot live alone. He must satisfy certain natural basic needs in order to survive. He has to enter into relationships with his fellowmen for living a life. No man can break the shackles of mutual dependence. This begins perhaps between the embryo and the mother and continues till his last breath. The need of the embryo may be more physical than mental, but the mother's need is the other way round.

“Society friendship and love/Divinely bestow'd upon man,” sang William Cowper, portraying the pangs of solitude of Alexander Selkirk who had been marooned on an uninhabited island for years.

What is sociology?

Sociology is the science of society. John Stuart Mill proposed the word ethology. Herbert Spencer developed his systematic study of society and adopted the word sociology. Auguste Comete (1798-1857), a French positivist thinker, considered the founding father of sociology, defines it as the science of social phenomena “subject to natural and invariable laws, the discovery of which is the object of investigation.” Sociology has been variously defined as the science of social institutions, science of social relationships, science of social phenomena, study of systems of social action and of their inter-relations, and so on.

No matter what definition we accept, sociology uses diverse tools of investigation and systematic analysis focussing on social activities at the micro and macro levels. The techniques employed may be quantitative, qualitative, or both. The ultimate objective of such studies is often the application of principles for ensuring welfare of the people. Stratification of society, race, class, caste, religion, gender, culture, language, conventions, norms, deviance (behaviour that violates social norms), crime and punishment, health, poverty, family structure, and social mobility are some of the concerns of sociology.

There are different areas of specialisation and research in sociology such as social change, social stratification, social movements, inter-ethnic relations, sociology of education, backward classes, caste system, race relations, poverty alleviation, clinical sociology, sociology of communication, sociology of deviance, juvenile delinquency, industrial sociology, social psychology, sociology of law, sociology of health, environmental sociology, military sociology, sociology of migration, spouse abuse, child abuse, disability and society, drug addiction, alcoholism and family life, gender inequalities, law and governance, identity crises, politics and society, international social policy, and demography.

Research in this discipline is mostly based on experience or experiments rather than theories. In other words, the studies are based on empirical data. These may check and confirm the related theories. We may have an informed guess on possible relationships. There has to be extensive gathering of data, backed up by painstaking observation.

There can be elaborate surveys using written questionnaires or a series of verbal interviews. Studies of relevant records or statistics prepared by government departments or reliable private agencies can also be used in certain cases. Experiments followed by statistical analysis of data are necessary to gauge the extent of social changes and to establish correlations. Measures for social corrections can be evolved from the findings of such studies and evaluation. The validity and reliability of the findings will naturally depend on faithful gathering of data. Unlike in physical science research, there may be unethical attempts from vested interests to influence the manipulation of data and to project distorted conclusions. True researchers have to be wary of this pitfall that may discredit their dedicated efforts to arrive at the truth.

Social work

Sociology and social work are different, though there are areas of overlap. They are distinct fields in their own right. We have seen different definitions of sociology. Social work is concerned with alleviation of problems of individuals in society. A sociologist will be interested not only in the plight of a poor man but also in how poverty affects society as a whole. Social work has a focus on helping individuals, groups, or communities. It may also try to bring about a change in policies aimed at the welfare of society.

Social work will involve the applications of various disciplines such as sociology, economics, psychology, education, public health, development, criminology, and so on. A scholar once succinctly put the difference thus: “A sociologist asks, ‘Why are these people poor?,' while the social worker asks, ‘What can I do about this poverty right now?.”

There are government departments as well as philanthropic organisations carrying out social work in our society. These offer career opportunities for those with compassion and commitment. It is a matter of fine job satisfaction to find opportunities for helping the aged, sick, deprived, and helpless, as part of your work.

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Short Essay on “Man is a Social Animal”

Short Essay on “ Man is a Social Animal ” – No man normally lives alone. Man does not live in isolation for a long time. He is basically a social creature.

The great Greek Philosopher-^m/o//e said long back that man is a social animal [Zoon, Politikon]. He further remarked that he who does, not live in society is either a beast or an angel.

With the exception of hermits, shepherds, light house keepers, prisoners in solitary confine­ment and possibly a few others, all human beings live in groups. Men everywhere live in groups. Man’s life is to an enormous extent a group life.

Image Source: 43e98e4dea9cc16d999b-4ff86151a1684680afb5e7ba0d0f4374.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com

A completely separated or isolated individual is purely hypothetical. On the contrary, man’s daily life is made up largely of participating in groups. Not only our life becomes boring and unbearable without fellow human beings but also our very survival becomes problematic. Total ostracism from one’s group is probably the crudest punish­ment – short of only death – that men are ever called upon to endure. The Term ‘Group’ Lacks Precision

1 Group’ is one of those terms which in common usage lack exactness. We use the word ‘group’ to mean such groups as family group, kin group, racial group, church group, religious group, occu­pational group, age group, sex group, vast community group, abstract group, statistical group, col­lectivity and so on.

Even in sociology the word group is not always consistently used by the sociolo­gists. The word ‘group’ is very loosely used. Sometimes, the word ‘group’ is used to refer to entire human group. Sometimes, it is used to mean a small group which consists of two (dyad) or more individuals. The term ‘group’ is not used with any specifications. Hence, it is difficult to give a single satisfactory definition to the concept of group.

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Man is a Social Animal

Man is a Social Animal

Man is a social animal by nature. Man has always preferred to live in groups. ‘Man is a social animal’, said Aristotle years ago, human races proved and realized the importance of his statement by the passage of time. From the primitive period, man lived and moved in groups. Individuals live in groups and cannot separate themselves from being part of a group. This made him feel secure and helped him guard himself against the wild animals. The nature of human beings is such that he cannot afford to live alone. This is one such human behavior that hasn’t changed much with time. No human being is normally developed in isolation. People still love socializing. Society, family, and culture are of utmost importance to the man. Man lives in society for his mental, psychological and intellectual development. It preserves the culture, customs, folkways, mores, norms, values, etc. and transmits it to succeeding generations. The social heritage helps his personality to develop in society.

Groups exist everywhere, and we are a part of it whether we realize this or not. Leave a man all alone for a month and see what happens to him. He will suffer from loneliness, depression and incur physical and mental health ailments due to it. In order to explain an individual’s behavior in a group, it is important to understand different types of groups, their norms, and values and possible causes of the conflicts.  It is not possible for a man to live alone. Man is and has always been a social animal. Individuals have their own importance, their behaviors and performance cannot be ignored as these influence the behaviors and production of groups they belong to. He loves being around other people. The essential qualities of human nature such as the capacity to acquire knowledge, learn a language, enquire and think; respect and regard, play, and work, help and the like are developed in society only.

The human infant comes into the world as a biological organism with animal needs. He is gradually molded into a social being and learns social ways” of acting and feeling through society. Now, while the younger generation wants their privacy and wishes to do things their own way this does not mean they do not feel the need to be around people. They have their own ways to do so. Working in groups is beneficial for an individual as he gets more exposure and learning takes place in many ways, and he also learns to survive in a group which is the basic necessity for an individual. Society both liberates and limits our potentialities as individuals and molds our attitudes, beliefs, morals, and ideals.

One of the important functions of society is to preserve the social heritage, which is intimately related to human beings. The human mind is ever enhancing and human intelligence is ever-growing but if there is one thing that has remained constant, it is his need to feel safe and secure. The personality, which is the total quality of an individual’s behavior, only develops in human society. This sense of security comes by being in touch with our near and dear ones. From the foregoing discussion, it may be concluded that man is a social animal.

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Man Is a Social Animal

  • First Online: 24 April 2019

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man is by nature a social animal essay

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“Man Is a Social Animal” discusses the emergence of social media in recent times and the importance it deserves in business communication, along with the legal implications. In the last decade or so there have been dramatic changes observed in the way social media has been emerging, thanks to the galloping development in technology and different business models which make this technology easily accessible to almost every one, irrespective of the economic strata to which they belong. Businesses find it challenging in the changing times to keep pace with the revolutionary changes happening in the social media as businesses ought to be moving ahead with the changes and keeping themselves aligned with the extremely fast-changing norms lest they should fall back in the competition race. However, in this entire exercise they must maintain legal uprightness, both in content and language used.

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Agarwal, A.K. (2019). Man Is a Social Animal. In: Legal Language and Business Communication. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7534-7_6

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    500 Words Essay on Man Is a Social Animal Introduction. Man, by nature, is a social animal. Humans have always been characterized by the urge to communicate, to establish relationships, and to express complex emotions and thoughts, which has led to the development of diverse cultures, languages, and societal structures.

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    Man is a social animal not only by nature but also by necessity. It is said that needs and necessities makes man social. Man has many needs and necessities. Out of these different needs social, mental and physical needs are very important and needs fulfillment. He can't fulfill these needs without living in society.

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    The statement that a man is a social animal implies that man cannot live without society. Society is indispensable for him. He needs society as matter of nature, necessity and for his well being. All these three implications are explained as follows: 1. Man is a social animal by nature. Man's nature is such that he cannot afford to live alone.

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    'Man is by Nature a Social and Political Animal ... theological anthropology of Gregory of Nyssa does not contradict but complements this common Christian heritage on the nature of the person, the essay will show that Régnon's narrative fails in anthropology just as Trinitarian theologians have shown that it fails in the doctrine of God ...

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    an Is a Social AnimalMan—the word is being used for human beings, irrespective of the gender—loves to live with others. and not in isolation. Community and society fulfil the needs of a man and typically make. the life worth living. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, had strongly stated about the so. ial nature of the man:Man is by nature a ...

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    Get a custom essay on Man is by Nature a Political Animal. 183 writers online. Learn More. Aristotle is described as the archetypal and quintessential theorist who played an integral role in the golden age of Greek philosophy. Aristotle was a philosopher, logistician, theorist and thinker. This description is incomplete as it paints the picture ...

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    Man is a social animal. Firstly, branding a man a social animal is befitting. Our physical appearance is very close to some other animals. We have a very close relation to other primates like chimpanzees genetically. The major difference between humans and other animals such as chimpanzees is the size and complexity of our brain.

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    'MAN IS BY NATURE A SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ANIMAL'1: ESSENTIAL AND ANTI-ESSENTIALIST RELATIONAL ONTOLOGIES REVISITED C. C. PECKNOLD The Catholic University of America, USA The nineteenth century French Jesuit theologian Theodore de Régnon2 quietly reshaped modern Trinitarian theology with his influential typology setting Greek personalism against Latin

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    'Man is by Nature a Social and Political Animal' †: Essential and Anti-Essentialist Relational Ontologies Revisited

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  22. Man Is a Social Animal

    Man—the word is being used for human beings, irrespective of the gender—loves to live with others, and not in isolation. Community and society fulfil the needs of a man and typically make the life worth living. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, had strongly stated about the social nature of the man: Man is by nature a social animal; an ...

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