• Man is a social animal and cannot live without society; human life and society are inseparable.
• Society is essential for human life to arise and continue; it exists both within and around individuals.
• There is extensive literature on the nature, origin, and sources of man’s social life and the relationship between the individual and society.
• The sociality of man is the central problem of sociology.
• Aristotle proposed that man is a social animal, leading to questions about man’s relationship to society.
• Fundamental questions include: In what sense is man a social animal? How do individuals belong to society? What is the nature of the individual’s dependence on society?
• The relationship between individual and society is one of the most profound problems in social philosophy, involving questions of values and human destiny.
• Individual and society are seen as separate, but both are interdependent, with each having obligations to the other.
• The essential question is: How does the individual fit into a society that is larger than themselves?
• The individual depends on society for all aspects of life—culture, norms, statuses, and group membership.
• The individual has responsibilities both to themselves and to society, and it is within society that they can find themselves.
• Emotional development, intellectual maturity, and material comforts are only possible within society.
• Cases like Kasper Hauser, the wolf-children of India, and isolated children confirm that human development happens only in social contexts.
• The psychological development of social consciousness in children further supports the natural sociality of humans.
• Society is essential for humans to realize their true nature, and biological potential for socialization is inherent in human beings.
• Theories about the relationship between the individual and society are foundational in social investigations.
• Two major theories regarding man and society are: Social Contract Theory and Organismic Theory.

SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

• Social Contract Theory explains the origin of society.
• According to this theory, all men are born free and equal; the individual precedes society.
• Society came into existence through an agreement among individuals.
• Classical representatives of this theory include Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and J.J. Rousseau.
• They argued that before the existence of civil society, men lived in a pre-social state, called the state of nature.
• Society emerged through a contract among individuals.
• Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), an English thinker, believed society formed for protection against man’s selfish nature.
• Hobbes described man in the state of nature as being in perpetual conflict due to his selfish nature.
• Hobbes’ famous quote: “the life of man was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”
• In the state of nature, every man was an enemy to every other man.
• Hobbes argued that man found “nothing but grief” in the company of others, as all were selfish, self-seeking, cunning, egoistic, brutal, and aggressive.
• Men in the state of nature were like hungry wolves, each ready to attack the other.
• Due to the intolerable conditions in the state of nature, men sought peace.
• People entered into a social contract for security and certainty of life and property.
• Individuals decided to surrender their natural rights to a few or one with authority to command.
• The contract was mutual, involving both individual and collective agreements.
• This agreement became a binding social and governmental contract, creating a perpetual bond.
• To protect themselves from the consequences of their own nature, men organized themselves in society to live in peace.