Individual and the Society
Essay Preview: Individual and the Society
Report this essay
Peoples lives shape of who they are and the people around them. Individual and the society have been the concerns of many people whether which one has dominated affect on the other. In Emile Durkheims essay, “Individualism and the Intellectuals”, he thinks that society is more important than one individual. He further explains if people were not on a same goal then the society will lead to destruction and not functional. Despite, Emerson the author of “Self-Reliance”, believes that the importance of thinking for one self rather than accept the ideas of society, it is the society that shapes the individual and it have been prove very successful in many ways.
The world has many different kinds of society, but the main point here is that it still has a great affect on ones life. The society has a great impact on how each individual acts, thinks and feels. From an early age, people teach their children to read, write and speak; however, if they let the children do those things on themselves then it will be impossible. For instance, sky is blue and the parents let the children decide what color it look like then they would have false and complete different perception. According to Durkheim, the father of modern sociology, analyzes on his essay that every action of each individual is connected by people around them. He said ” communal life is impossible without the existence of interests superior to those of the individual.” (Durkheim 276). Even though, in his essay, he does recognize the importance of each individual in society, he still believes that societys need is greater than ones need. He understands each individual have unique quality that makes them stands out from everyone else but still shares a common ground in society. These differences set them apart from society but they all play a crucial role in it. Despite the extraordinary of each person has, the true relationship comes from society that shapes them to be who they are today.
Culture or society is an important part of each individuals life because it is the reflection of their belief and the way that shape each individual. The culture provides and fulfills each individuals need and without it, things will be fall apart. Ruth Benedict, a famous anthropologist and folklorist, uses example from her essay, ” The Individual and the Pattern of Culture” , that not all man and woman of the Zuni tribe are strong individuals so they have to work together to accomplish unlike other tribes who will do anything for a personal reason. Moreover, Benedict also mentioned on her essay that “most people are shaped to the form of their culture because of the enormous malleability of their original endowment” (307). What she is saying here is that each individual will base off depend on their culture or class in their society. For example, if an individual blessed with a riches and powerful