Man is unthinkable outside of society (L. Tolstoy) essay Unified State Examination Social Studies

↑ Introduction

Perhaps you have ever heard the phrase of Leo Tolstoy: “man is unthinkable outside of society.” But few people know why he said it. And in fact, many people wonder why a person cannot live without society, is this phrase relevant now? Why does humanity need to be in society for a healthy mental state? And do we need communication or can we do without it? These were the questions that first came to my mind when I saw this phrase, and I wanted to understand its meaning. And I decided to answer them.

Philosophy: “Man is unthinkable outside of society” (L. Tolstoy)

Philosophy: “Man is unthinkable outside of society” (L. Tolstoy).

In this quote, L.N. Tolstoy talks about the social nature of man. The author believes that a person is a social being, and a person can reveal his social essence only while in society, that is, a person will not be able to fully exist and develop as an individual outside of society.

In order to fully explore this topic, it is necessary, first of all, to define the concepts of “society” and “person”. Man is a biosocial being, possessing thinking, articulate speech, the ability to create tools and use them in the process of social labor, embodying high moral and intellectual properties. From the definition one can see that a person is firmly connected with society, which helps him in the formation and development of personal qualities. Society is a part of the material world isolated from nature, but closely connected with it, consisting of individuals (people) with will and consciousness and including ways of interaction between people and forms of their association. From the moment of birth, a child finds himself not only in the natural, but also in the social environment. Consequently, it has not only biological needs (for food, air, housing, clothing), but also social ones: for communication, work, creativity, public recognition, success in life. A person is not born an individual. He becomes one as a result of interaction with other people. It should also be noted that the development of personal qualities occurs through various channels of influence of society on a person, for example, communication, the media, customs and traditions, books).

An example confirming this point of view can be the work of L.N. Tolstoy's "Sunday". The main character Nekhlyudov was raised in a warm, loving environment from an early age. He was brought up with such qualities as responsiveness, openness to people and spiritual kindness. When he grew up, his parents sent him to serve. Cruel orders reigned there, indifference to deep feelings and human transfusions. Being in such a society, he became angry, callous and indifferent, society brought up these qualities in him, although not the most noble, but thanks to them he learned to think, distinguish between good and evil and listen to his heart. Without interaction with other people he would not have been able to do this.

Since a person can reveal his social essence only by carrying out a certain social activity, namely communicating with people, then by abstracting himself from society, a person loses his social essence. As an example, I would like to cite two children from India, Amala and Kamala. In 1920, the girls were discovered in the forest in a wolf's den, aged approximately eight and two years. The children were taken to an orphanage, but they were never able to socialize, since their behavior was exclusively wolfish. The children behaved very aggressively and cruelly with the people around them, because they acquired animal qualities not only externally, but also internally. Growing up without society, without people and communication, turned children into animals who were never able to become full-fledged members of society.

Thus, I completely agree with the statement of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy that “a person is unthinkable outside of society.” Man, as a biosocial being, is able to develop and self-realize only in a social environment.

Source : OK Unified State Examination

↑ Argument

And it’s worth starting with the fact that a person is a biosocial being - that is, we need communication for a healthy life and mental state. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that any person from birth is in society and it is in society that his personality and character are formed, and if he leaves society, this can disrupt his mental and emotional state for a long time.

To put it simply, we perceive society as a circle of people united by something in common, or as residents of a state, city, etc. Based on this, we can understand that society aims the process of human development in the right direction. That is, it completely oversees the process of human socialization.

Socialization is the process of an individual’s assimilation of social norms, cultural and moral values ​​and patterns of behavior necessary for successful existence in society. Therefore, it is not correct to say that a person can successfully exist and develop outside of society. Without society, people can go crazy.

Man is unthinkable outside of society - L.N. Tolstoy

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Introduction:

The great Russian writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy lived in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. His work gave readers the deepest philosophical meaning.

“Man is unthinkable outside of society” - how to understand this? To correctly formulate the answer, you must first define the concepts of “society” and “person”.

Man is a biosocial being with high moral and intellectual property, capable of creating thoughts, formulating statements, tools and using them in the course of social work.

Indeed, the definition shows that people are more connected to a society that helps them become human, protect their identity and support them.

Society is part of the material world, which is isolated from nature, but is closely related to nature and consists of people who have will and consciousness, including the ways and forms in which people interact. This is where socialization happens. The process of a person’s assimilation of a certain system of knowledge, norms and values ​​allows him to function as a full member of society. From the moment of birth, the child finds himself not only in nature, but also in the social environment, starting with the formation of the most basic functions - nutrition, exercise, etc., and preparing for a more independent life.

Society includes reason and will. This is legal, and this is the essence of man - everything that distinguishes man from purely natural beings and reveals his rational and spiritual nature. It forms a person’s personality - a stable system of socially significant characteristics of a person as a member of society.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has an outstanding personality. He is distinguished by high spirit, abilities and good upbringing. It was society that allowed him to socialize and reveal his spiritual and moral potential. This gave him the gift of "intellect and morality" - all the highest values ​​he had accumulated. He received an excellent education (MGIMO) and began to take part in the political life of Russia. I believe that such people should be in the best positions in government.

There is no meaning outside of society, and each member of society has the opportunity to interact with meaning only in social space.

Social attitude and divorced purely personal meaning cannot exist and are absolutely meaningless. Even the highest religious truths are closely connected with society.

In the Gospel, Christ says: “Nature is designed in such a way that people interact with their species.” From the moment of his appearance, a person cannot exist outside of social connections and relationships. The fundamental meaning of society is that, within the framework of human survival, the lives of people can be maintained more reliably and efficiently than in the presence of each person.

A higher guarantee of life support forced the ancestors to live together. In the traditional social era, people worked together in agriculture, gathering and raising livestock. Later, crafts were added to these activities.

People began to engage in creativity, and thus the society was ideal to this day.

In the spiritual test for completing the Japanese Zen system, there is a Moritao procedure that strictly prohibits people from entering a cave for more than a week and talking to themselves. According to those who passed this test, the thirst for communication until the end of isolation was simply unbearable. Thus, the conclusion is that a person’s desire to establish contact with other people is a social need.

Conclusion

Nowadays, people remember to communicate. In the age of information and computer technologies, people are increasingly immersed in a communication environment, from which they extract important and meaningful information, which makes them smarter and more readable, aware of themselves in life, and helps to apply knowledge for the benefit and development of society. Communication is the basis of a society where people understand and cooperate with each other and carry out various projects. Our society is developing. A person must also grow with him. I completely agree with Leo Tolstoy’s statement that people cannot be considered outside of society.

In conclusion, I would like to note that Leo Tolstoy was absolutely right in his statement. A person is formed in society, he develops himself, self-realizes. Only in society is a person able to become a person - an individual who is a subject of conscious activity and possesses a set of socially significant traits.

↑ Example

There are examples of the fact that man and society are two inseparable concepts in fiction and in real life. This work is “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe. This novel tells the story of a man trapped on a desert island. Only thanks to previously acquired abilities, knowledge and skills, as well as self-control and the ability to control himself, Robinson was able to survive and not go crazy in the difficult conditions in which he found himself.

Or Tom Ayrton, one of the main characters in Jules Verne's novel The Mysterious Island. In the case of Ayrton, we see what happens to a person if he spends a long time outside of society, alone. Not only will he lose his mind, he will be emotionally and psychologically broken, he may also cease to be human.

Or another example, while surfing the Internet, I read about such a phenomenon as “feral children.” The article talked about a case related to the girl Oksana Malaya. Oksana was found in 1991. It turns out that for 5-6 years she lived outside of society, in a pack of dogs, almost completely borrowing their habits and habits. For a long time, doctors from the boarding school where Oksana was staying tried to teach the girl to speak human language, and after many years of effort, they succeeded.

Or the most famous example is Tarzan from the work of the same name by Edgar Burroughs. Tarzan is the son of a British lord, abandoned by criminals along with his wife on the west coast of Africa. His mother died and his father was killed by the apes when he was very young, and he grew up among the apes, who gave him the name Tarzan ("pale-skinned"). Tarzan's mother was a monkey named Kala. These examples show us how important society is to us and how important its role is in our lives.