CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
is the study of the structure and functioning of society. Though a vast subject,
it basically concerns the origin of mankind, that is, association of man and
woman which brings a human baby into existence and eventually develops into
families and clans. Therefore, it is natural for man to associate with
fellow-beings and seek companionship. This enlarged fellowship is called society
which is as much an extension of the ego as is individuality. This chapter seeks
to concentrate on the societal aspect without discussing details of customs,
structures and institutions or the various processes which preserve social
continuity and produce changes.
Nature of society
Society is not the result of what
is called the herding instinct. Man seeks companionship because it is his
nature. The one who does not want to live amongst fellow-beings becomes a
recluse or hermit. He is, in fact, a social reject but conceals his shame under
the cover of such grand titles as "saint" or "sage".
Ascetecism may not be a vice, but it is certainly not a virtue because
individuality despite being an end in itself, is neither conceivable without
association (of the opposite sexes) nor can it develop without enlarging itself
into a society. Again, individuality is an integrated entity: it consists of
many parts as a rose consists of numerous petals and a glass of water comprises
countless drops. According to the Theory of Collaboration, it is the law of
nature that all small things merge into large wholes and become fewer in
numbers. Therefore, society is the natural evolution of individuality, and being
the fountain of social environment, it acts as the major source of moral sense
and cultural and spiritual values. An isolated individual is likely to be an
insane animal. It is social intercourse which provides man with the
opportunities to become man. Without it, the concepts of harmony or discord have
no meaning. However, a human society cannot be treated as a compound where each
component loses its identity. It is a mixture where every individual retains his
distinction because this is the demand of individuality which is an end in
itself.
Significance of society
In a previous chapter, I stated
that the universe is a symposium of interrelationships which hold it together
and serve as the evolutionary principle through the tendency of
self-improvement. It equally applies to an individual. He is driven by this
tendency to seek social relationships with others; the relationship between man
and woman leads to the emergence of a family which blossoms into clans, tribes,
nations and mankind. There is hardly any need to say that the mirth or misery of
man depends upon the maintenance of these interrelationships Thus society is the
medium of instructions and the sole Opportunity of creating interrelationships
and practicing them. The attitudes involved in discharging one's obligations and
securing rights, emerge as rules, customs, conventions and superstitions, thus
determining the quality of the society. A good society is the one which is
morally ascendant; it helps man to realise his spiritual goal but a bad society
leads to circumstances which reduce the chances of souls coming into being.
Moral sense and society
Since salvation, that is, becoming
a part of Godhead, is a matter of action and not faith, society provides the
opportunity of realising this goal through practicing interrelationships. It is
because moral sense, which is the fountain of virtue and the hope of soul,
cannot come into existence without interrelationships. Morality simply means
honouring these interrelationships in a sincere and honourable manner. In fact,
not only the concept of morality rests on proper execution of interrelationships
but the existence of the universe depends upon it. For example, the forces that
hold atoms together in groups must have certain peculiarities which determine
the rules of combination. The manner of combination denotes the underlying
relationship of existence. Again, the forces that govern the molecular patterns
regulate their interrelationships with a great precision; these forces though
attractive at longer distances, become repulsive at shorter distances. If this
were not true, matter would go on condensing in ever-increasing densities, thus
causing implosion. It is the consciousness of maintaining interrelationships
that enables the interatomic forces to be attractive at longer range and
repulsive at shorter range for the purpose of securing equilibrium at
intermediate distances where the net force becomes zero.
Imagine yourself to be the only
person alive on earth. Will your life have any meaning? Will you find it
enjoyable? Will it develop to the stage called "culture"? No, not at
all. Such a solitary life will be one hell of misery, completely isolated form
culture. Obviously, man without society is less than a mammal because even
animals herd together. Society is the natural demand, and goal of healthy
individuality I am an individualist but my individuality exists in relation to
other individuals If others do not exist nor can I, because existence is a
strictly relative business. As one tree does not make a forest, one gust does
not constitute wind and one soldier does not count as an army, completely
separate and independent individuals do not make a society. The society which
consists of totally self-centred individuals is regressive: instead of marching
towards enlightenment, it slides into wilderness.
Of course, an individual is an end
in himself, and all individuals are morally equal. These are certainly sacred
goals but they cannot be realised in isolation. Take the economic concept of
division of labour, for instance. Can I grow all the food I need? Can I raise a
herd of sheep for woollen clothing? Can I spin, weave and tailor my garments?
Can I build a modern house all by myself? Can I be my own doctor and surgeon?
Supposing that being "the greatest genius", I can do all these things
myself and thus sing the songs of individuality without paying attention to
harmony, yet economic needs are not my only concern. What about my sexual needs
which are equally urgent? Should I seek celebacy or resort to perversion? In
either case, it will put a stop to reproduction, thus announcing the end of
mankind. This type of individuality which denies other individuals the chance of
coming into being is a symptom of madness and fatal to the interest of
individuality. The only way I can satisfy my sexual needs are by seeking a mate.
This simple partnership is the foundation of society; each partner has rights
and duties, and the stability of their relationship, and happiness depends upon
how they react to each other for discharging their mutual obligations. There is
no fulfillment but the voluntary discharge of duties to one's associates or
fellow-beings. It is this voluntariness which is the cornerstone of
individuality, and it thrives on discharging one's moral obligations to one's
fellow-beings: this is what makes individuality, sacred, sweet and supreme and
enables it to be the forerunner of a soul, the guarantee of eternity. Arrogance,
malevolence and usurpation are the aggressive exhibitions of individuality and
proof of its march in the opposite direction to eternity.
The society which consists of
individuals who respect their fellow-beings and discharge their social
obligations without fear of external force or greed of a secular reward, is a
paradise on earth whose inhabitants become immune to extinction. Death to them
is nothing but sloughing which gives them a new brilliant coat of life. On the
contrary, the society riddled with sophistication, slyness and avarice is a
living hell whose roaring flames roast the potential of soul.
However, human society is not
herding because it usually produces results which are totally opposed to what is
expected of a society; crowded rats exhibit cannibalism, homosexually and
hypersexuality. A society is society only when it promotes individuality through
the operation of free will, that is, people are free to choose and act as they
desire but their choices are based on moral conscience.
Spacing
Society is the natural goal of
individuality because it comes into being spontaneously. However, spontaniety is
not an haphazard affair; it is something which leads to a principled
organisation. One would have thought that society is all about mixing. On the
contrary, spacing also happens to be one of its basic rules. This fact is well
illustrated by what is called territoriality. Birds and animals are known to
keep their distance from fellow birds and animals by occupying a separate
territory which they treat as exclusive to themselves and guard it against the
intruders jealously. This mutual repulsion is well contrasted by mutual
attraction as exhibited by mating swarms of midges and fireflies. This, in fact,
is a demonstration of the opposite attributes such as love and loathing. Thus
society is both a congregation of friends and an arena of competitors; it
requires a system of rules to regulate it.
Altruism
However, altruism or care for
fellow-beings remains its fulcrum. It implies selflessness because an altruistic
animal promotes the cause of fellow-beings without any benefit to itself; the
vigilance of a mother bear against the hungry father bear who may devour their
cubs or an alarm call of a bird that warns neighbours of a falcon, are some of
the examples of the altruistic behaviour. According to Charles Darwin, when an
animal protects its offspring, it enables its own kind to survive the process of
natural selection. In the case of humans, this principle is the most sacred and
significant because care of the fellow-beings without self-interest raises the
spiritual status of ego which begins to look upon other members of the society
as an extension of itself. Since concept of self-care is better promoted through
mutual care, society begins to rank as the guardian of individuals. However, the
society which seeks to become itself as the eventual goal of the individuals, is
the most sordid entity because it adopts deterministic attitude to tell people
how to walk, how to talk, what to eat and what to drink. This totalitarian role
destroys people's free will which is the foundation of humanity, and serves as
the tool of a dictator or despot who strengthens himself by weakening the fellow
individuals.
Unity in diversity
Diversity is the zest of life but
unity is its essence. In other words, unity in diversity is the secret of
success and happiness. Unity does not mean bringing everybody down to the same
level. Such an attitude is against the law of nature which preserves hierarchy
and creates differentiation through the evolutionary process; it is natural for
the sun to be bigger than the earth; it is natural for a hawk to be a high flier
compared to a sparrow and it is natural for a rose to be free from the stench of
a sewer. All beings are entitled to hold their station and rise still higher.
There is nothing wrong with it. Mischievious behaviour comes into being when
people try to gain ascendancy at the expense of others. This triggers off the
process of usurpation, deceit and callousness. As a result, tension rises
gradually making strife the way of life. This is deplorable because man's
spiritual development as well as secular peace and happiness depend upon
harmony; strife is its exact antithesis booming with discord, deviation and
destruction. Harmony among the high and low, tall and dwarf, pretty and ugly Is
as likely as is the coexistence between rose and thorns or positive and negative
electric charges. Alternatively, take a family of, say, four brothers who are
endowed with different attitudes of love and loathing and possess varying
physical and psychological calibres to achieve their goals. Each may want to
adopt an inimical approach to attain his aim, yet it is rare for brothers to
follow a mutually destructive line of action to gain what they want. It is the
feeling of brotherhood which restrains their spirit of strife and converts it
into harmony, proving that love is superior to loathing. Brotherhood of man is
as much a reality as is the brotherhood based on parental ties. It is just a
matter of arousing their moral conscience to make them believe that they are
members of a much greater circle of brotherhood.
Marxist vision of society
Unfortunately, such a moral
awakening is inhibited by the lovers of golden theories. For projecting
themselves a cut above the rest, they seek to destroy social harmony which
bestows an equal moral status on all and sundry. They advocate
class-consciousness and religious sectarianism for creating a body of followers
to perpetuate their own glory. Take for example, the Marxist theory. According
to Karl Marx, it is the political economy that determines the nature of society.
The distinction between one society and another is, chiefly, its mode of
production as expressed by the advancement or primitiveness of its technology
and division of labour; each mode of production leads to the emergence of a
distinctive class system. Each class becomes antagonistic and enters into a
conflict with other classes to appropriate what is produced. The dominant class
not only controls the material production but also comes to possess the monopoly
of the production of ideas Thus, it begins to rule the society through a
cultural style and a political doctrine
Dialectical materialism
Marx adopted the Hegelian theory
which came to be known as dialectical materialism. This view of history
propounds a conflict between two opposing forces, namely thesis and antithesis,
which is resolved by the forming of a new force called synthesis. He emphasised
that the present conditions prevailed owing to a class struggle between the
capitalists and the workers; the former lived for private profit and the latter
resisted exploitation. Thus according to Marx, society is nothing but a
perpetually-moving balance of antithetical forces: social conflict is the
fountain of history because it is the creator of everything social.
Religious ideology
The marxist class doctrine equally
applies to all believers who think of other religious groups as blasphemous.
Thus they advocate extermination or subjugation of all those who disagree with
them. What in Marxist ideology is class-struggle, in religious terminology
appears as sectarian hatred and active denial of tolerance to infidels.
Religious sectarianism and economic
class-consciousness are the enemies of harmony which is the fountain of moral
conscience. The men who are driven by hatred are bound to be mean, malevolent
and murderous and, thus lack respect for the rights of fellow-beings. It is the
acknowledgement of other people's rights to a fair living which creates the
sense of reciprocal existence, and its realisation can be brought about through
harmony only. This is what social stability requires; strife strikes at its very
roots.
The purpose of society
Society is a phenomenon of
companionship. Therefore, it is the natural association of fellow-beings, and is
engendered by the hope of peace and prosperity. The basic association of man and
woman is a search for security and happiness through harmony. As this
association expands into a family, the parents pray and strive for harmony
amongst their children for the same reason. The natural desire
for harmony remains unabated at
national and international levels, yet this dream has shown no sign of
realization over the millenia; instead it has become a nightmare Why? Because
man has not as yet realised that philanthropy i.e. love of mankind through
voluntary and active mutual help is the consummation of human conscience which
is the fountain of godliness. It is only the deeds of a moral man that may
guarantee eternity because men forced to be good are not really good for lacking
free will. Of course, morality is a subjective doctrine but in action, it
becomes objective because an actor can be judged in relation to other people
only. Again, it is not always possible to act correctly because of man's basic
tendency to err, suspect, falter, misjudge, and misunderstand. Thus man needs
objective rules of judgement seeking to determine, in relation to others, what
is morally considered just or unjust and right or wrong. The set of such
objective rules is called "law".
Ingredients of law
However, to qualify as law, these
rules ought to be minimal and must not inhibit the moral conscience of the
citizens. Secondly, law cannot change the nature of things, that is, it cannot
declare the right as wrong and vice versa. Thirdly, the purpose of the law is to
promote justice at the expense of injustice for creating harmony. Lastly, the
law ought to be an extension of morality and not a substitute for it. After all,
it is the moral excellence, that is, the operation of man's free will that gives
him the human dignity. Compulsion being the enemy of free will, destroys the
dignity of free choice and action, reducing the human stature to that of a
mammal.
Is it all that law is? No. It is a
very vast subject. Having discussed it at length in "Taxation and
Liberty", I shall describe it here in an outline only.
To remove any misunderstanding. I
ought to add the following:
1. I have stated that individuality
is an end in itself. It refers to the ultimate end, that is, capability of an
individual becoming a soul. It should be noted that conversion from physical to
spiritual is a social process, and thus denotes the significance of society.
2. Men are not born equal owing to
their varying tendencies and potentials. Yet they are morally equal because they
are entitled to equal opportunities in exercising their free will improving
their lot and demanding natural justice.
| 
Previous
Chapter
