Editing Society (section)

==Conceptions==
Society, in general, addresses the fact that an individual has rather limited means as an [[autonomy|autonomous unit]]. The [[great apes]] have always been more (''[[Bonobo]]'', ''[[Human being|Homo]]'', ''[[Pan (genus)|Pan]]'') or less (''[[Gorilla]]'', ''[[Orangutan|Pongo]]'') [[social animal]]s, so [[Robinson Crusoe]]-like situations are either fictions or unusual [[corner case]]s to the ubiquity of social context for humans, who fall between [[presocial]] and [[eusociality|eusocial]] in the spectrum of [[primate#Social systems|animal ethology]].

[[Cultural relativism]] as a widespread approach or ethic has largely replaced notions of "primitive", better/worse, or "progress" in relation to cultures (including their material culture/technology and social organization).

According to anthropologist [[Maurice Godelier]], one critical novelty in society, in contrast to humanity's closest biological relatives (chimpanzees and bonobos), is the parental role assumed by the males, which supposedly would be absent in our nearest relatives for whom paternity is not generally determinable.<ref>[[Maurice Godelier]], Métamorphoses de la parenté, 2004</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://newleftreview.org/?view=2592|journal=New Left Review|author=Jack Goody|title=The Labyrinth of Kinship|access-date=24 July 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927004209/http://newleftreview.org/?view=2592|archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref>

=== In political science ===
Societies may also be structured politically. In order of increasing size and complexity, there are bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and state societies. These structures may have varying degrees of political power, depending on the cultural, geographical, and historical environments that these societies must contend with. Thus, a more isolated society with the same level of technology and culture as other societies is more likely to survive than one in close proximity to others that may encroach on their resources. A society that is unable to offer an effective response to other societies it competes with will usually be subsumed into the culture of the competing society.

=== In sociology ===
[[File:Ants' Social Ethology.jpg|thumb|right|The social group enables its members to benefit in ways that would not otherwise be possible on an individual basis. Both individual and social (common) goals can thus be distinguished and considered. Ant (formicidae) [[Ethology|social ethology]].]]
[[Sociology|Sociologist]] [[Peter L. Berger]] defines society as "...a human product, and nothing but a human product, that yet continuously acts upon its producers."  According to him, society was created by humans, but this creation turns back and creates or molds humans every day.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Scared Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion|last = Berger|first = Peter L.|publisher = Doubleday & Company, Inc.|year = 1967|location = Garden City, NYC|page = 3}}</ref>
[[File:Canis lupus pack surrounding Bison.jpg|thumb|right|''Canis lupus'' [[Ethology|social ethology]]]]

Sociologist [[Gerhard Lenski]] differentiates societies based on their level of technology, communication, and economy: (1) hunters and gatherers, (2) simple agricultural, (3) advanced agricultural, (4) industrial, and (5) special (e.g. fishing societies or maritime societies).<ref>Lenski, G. 1974. ''Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology.''{{page needed|date=January 2020}}</ref> This is similar to the system earlier developed by anthropologists Morton H. Fried, a conflict theorist, and [[Elman Service]], an integration theorist, who have produced a system of classification for societies in all human cultures based on the evolution of [[social inequality]] and the role of the [[State (polity)|state]]. This system of classification contains four categories:
* [[Hunter-gatherer]] bands (categorization of duties and responsibilities). Then came the agricultural society.
* [[Tribe|Tribal]] societies in which there are some limited instances of [[social rank]] and prestige.
* [[Social stratification|Stratified]] structures led by [[tribal chief|chieftains]].
* [[Civilization]]s, with complex [[social hierarchies]] and organized, [[government|institutional governments]].

In addition to this there are:
* [[All humanity|Humanity]], humankind, upon which rest all the elements of society, including society's beliefs.
* [[Sociology of the Internet|Virtual society]], a society based on online identity, which is evolving in the information age.

Over time, some [[cultures]] have progressed toward more complex forms of [[organization]] and control. This [[cultural evolution]] has a profound effect on patterns of community. Hunter-gatherer tribes settled around seasonal food stocks to become [[Neolithic Revolution|agrarian villages]]. Villages grew to become towns and cities. Cities turned into [[city-state]]s and [[nation-state]]s.<ref>Effland, R. 1998. [http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/dept/d10/asb/anthro2003/glues/model_complex.html The Cultural Evolution of Civilizations] {{webarchive|url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160515120848/http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/dept/d10/asb/anthro2003/glues/model_complex.html |date=15 May 2016 }}.</ref>

Many societies distribute largess at the behest of some individual or some larger group of people. This type of generosity can be seen in all known cultures; typically, prestige accrues to the generous individual or group. Conversely, members of a society may also shun or [[scapegoat]] any members of the society who violate its [[Norm (sociology)|norms]]. Mechanisms such as [[Reciprocity (cultural anthropology)|gift-giving]], [[joking relationship]]s and [[scapegoating]], which may be seen in various types of human groupings, tend to be [[institution]]alized within a society. Social evolution as a phenomenon carries with it certain elements that could be detrimental to the population it serves.

Some societies bestow status on an individual or group of people when that individual or group performs an admired or desired action. This type of [[Recognition (sociology)|recognition]] is bestowed in the form of a name, title, manner of dress, or monetary reward. In many societies, adult male or female status is subject to a ritual or process of this type. Altruistic action in the interests of the larger group is seen in virtually all societies. The phenomena of community action, shunning, scapegoating, generosity, shared risk, and reward is common to many forms of society.