Social philosophy studies social interactions and behavior in humans and animals. It overlaps with other disciplines such as ethics, politics, and psychology. Society and the individual are the main elements, with freedom and responsibilities being important. The social contract includes obligations for those in power. Max Weber’s theory identifies three types of legitimate authority. Social philosophy also studies specific social situations such as romance, fashion, culture, and terrorism.
Social philosophy is the study of social interactions and behavior between two or more people. Such philosophical studies are usually conducted in humans, but have also been used to examine the social systems of other animals such as dolphins and great apes. Social philosophy examines group dynamics and organization, group identity, and the role of individual feelings within them.
Any discussion and any theory of social problems could be considered an element of social philosophy. There are many disciplines that overlap with the philosophy of society. For example, it overlaps with other philosophical disciplines such as ethics, philosophy of language, political philosophy and social epistemology. It also combines and merges with non-philosophical disciplines such as anthropology, sociology and psychology.
The two main elements of social philosophy are society and the individual. Emmanuel Kant believed that the fundamental element of a good society is freedom. By this he means the freedom to be an individual, but even individuals have a contract with society which naturally limits that freedom. According to Kant, therefore, society is about balancing rights and responsibilities.
Responsibilities or duties are called the social contract. Kant expounded his ideas on the social contract in his essay “Theory and Practice”. The social contract overlaps ethics and morals, but is not entirely bound by those parameters.
Authority is also an aspect of the social contract in social philosophy. Just as the broad strata of society have obligations to each other and to society as a whole, those in power are also bound by rights and responsibilities. This helps define what a person in authority can and cannot do, what his obligations are to others, and what privileges he receives in return.
Philosopher Max Weber has developed a theory that there are three types of legitimate authority in social philosophy. The first is the leader who gains his position by rational and legal means, such as through an election. The second is the leader who earns his position through tradition such as hereditary monarchies. The ultimate leader achieves the position of authority only through charisma. Followers of the first type of authority may have problems with the second and third types because they don’t have a democratic mandate, but the authority of charisma can be given to public figures as diverse as religious leaders and talk show hosts.
In addition to covering the structure of societies and how individuals relate to them, social philosophy studies specific social situations and how they occur and why within a larger picture. This includes romance and dating, fashion and the development of culture. It also includes culturally specific issues such as terrorism.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
