An Introduction to Sociology [antikvár]

1.Chapter i, definitions and proceduresSociology in its broadest sense may be said to be the study ot interaction arising from the association of living beings. It is quite proper, of course, to speak of animal sociology as contrasted with human sociology, but in this book we are primarily interested in the social interaction of human beings, and ^ve shall therefore deal with the social life of animals onlyt^as it may illuminate the problems of human sociology.It is a matter of common observation as well as of scientific verification that man is not a solitai-y animal continually shunning the company of his fellows, but that on the contrary he generally lives in societies and his activities affect not only the natural environment, but also have a constant and profound effect upon other human beings. It also requires no highly technical proofs to convince us that the presence and activities of other people, which we seldom completely escape even should we -wish to do so, have an important bearing upon our own activities and indeed upon our whole outlook on life. These observations are true not only for us in this country but are familiar in some form to human beings the world over. It is, therefore, the interaction and its types that seem to result from contact between human individuals in which we are interested.When we consider these matters, if we are at all of a curious frame of mind, certain questions occur to us. Why is it that man is apparently a social beingthat is, ivhy does he seem generally to live in contact with his fellows? Is there something in his germ plasm that causes the craving or preference for society which seems to be characteristic of his species? How does the society of men differ from the societies of other animals? How long have human beings been living and acting socially, and ^vhen and how did hitman societies originate? Questions of this sort have been the subjects of speculation from time immemorial and have given rise to various theories and explanations. Contemplating our o^vn social life we ask: What are the principles that underlie it? What are the causal factors which make it work or function? Is our society the3