Questions tagged [society]
Society in general refers to a group of people who have distinctive cultural relations and institutions sharing the same territory. These organised groups of people associate for some specific purpose or on account of some common interest. Usually, they provide protection, security, continuity and a national identity for its members.
220
questions
10
votes
7
answers
1k
views
What is opinion?
It is commonly agreed that there is a clear distinction between fact and opinion. Physical facts can be verified. Opinion varies and may be based on faith. But what about opinions which, over time, ...
- 2,921
28
votes
4
answers
5k
views
The McDonald's Option
A group of co-workers at GeneraCorp Inc. have just finished their regular mandatory Thursday morning training session. This week featured a two-hour discussion on how to use the new printers, ...
- 383
0
votes
2
answers
160
views
What will be the moral and social consequences of knowing that the universe is deterministic? [duplicate]
A deterministic universe in theory where observing every interaction between particles in the universe would allow you to predict the future. A deterministic universe will be the one without any free ...
- 1
4
votes
1
answer
153
views
Positive Freedom v. Negative Freedom: a binary or a spectruum?
I got interested in this question when I realized that, on one hand, some people who disagree with me (and argue for mean ideas) are fond of this distinction and, on the other hand, my ideas and that ...
- 141
6
votes
4
answers
656
views
Does the notion of "moral progress" presuppose the existence of an objective moral standard?
Consider two societies: Society A, which rejects homosexuality, opposes abortion, and endorses slavery, and Society B, which embraces sexual diversity, supports women's right to choose, and rejects ...
user77058
7
votes
3
answers
165
views
What's the term for "attributing to a subgroup what's true of the whole"?
I'm searching for a term or word that might not exist. Here's what I'm trying to label:
The tendency of us humans to attribute to a subgroup what's true of the whole. Or the act of doing so.
...
- 171
10
votes
8
answers
3k
views
Why try to explain the unexplainable?
A lot of the questions that show up here are about trying to break open some or other old idea that seems unfounded and trying to 'explain' it in terms of something else that is also unfounded, but ...
- 2,065
6
votes
10
answers
2k
views
How to save oneself from this particular angst?
This question relates to the angst depicted in the movie Annie Hall, when the younger version of Woody Allen's character feels demotivated about life when he realizes that the universe is expanding.
...
2
votes
3
answers
261
views
Are the justifications of an irrational society false?
I was reading a bit about Horkheimer, and at various times he claims that capitalist society is not rational, that society limits rational critique of reason, and that
something in them should rebel ...
- 3,132
0
votes
0
answers
60
views
Does the last man hate work?
Does the last man hate work? This probably strikes the site as a facile question, but Zarathustra does seem to end with beginning his work, and the last man has lost the capacity to hate himself (that'...
- 3,132
1
vote
1
answer
67
views
Is my existence contingent in experiences of nausea, and if so what is authenticity?
The feeling of nausea that Roquentin, the main character of Sartre’s
novel, famously experienced in a public garden while obsessively
watching a chestnut tree, accounts for his sensitivity to the ...
- 3,132
5
votes
9
answers
5k
views
Is it rational for heterosexuals to be proud that they were born heterosexual? [closed]
Throughout my life, I have often heard from individuals in our nation's news organizations, from those in Academia, from local/state/federal government officials, from corporate human resources ...
user68506
0
votes
0
answers
56
views
Is reputation an end in itself beyond merely being a means for success in society?
Is reputation an end in itself? I don't think it is, though it may be intrinsic (I have a good reputation for some things and not relative to other people, though perhaps not what I have done). Any ...
- 3,132
3
votes
0
answers
101
views
is there a civic and/or moral duty or obligation for one to be an 'active citizen in a democracy'? [closed]
reading a post on daily nous the other day, i saw the comment by columbia college chicago professor s. asma that
students cannot just learn about game design and digital editing, and not learn about ...
- 1,845
3
votes
4
answers
963
views
In a democratic society, should governments be allowed to pay for or fund artistic/cultural works and performances using taxpayers' money?
Especially considering that aesthetic criteria are essentially individual matters, and that certain works and performances may be regarded as offensive by some part of society
There is also a ...
- 1,845
3
votes
2
answers
222
views
What are the responsibilities of humans towards nature and human race?
An individual has to carry out various duties and fulfill the responsibilities on various levels. I tried to figure out some possible roles humans play. I believe this is an exhaustive list (if I ...
- 206
8
votes
2
answers
600
views
What explains the observation that grocery store check-out lines are oscillatory? [closed]
I have been spending some time sitting in a shopping center, and I have noticed a weird pattern. There is always one cash register open. When one person arrives at the cash register, many others ...
- 91
4
votes
3
answers
344
views
How do we know we are all not 'crazy'? Is number and context the only thing that defines our indication/sense of 'normalcy'?
I stumble upon this question after reading this Wikipedia article, which I find very intriguing: The laughter epidemic began on days averaging around 7 days.
After reading that article I went through ...
- 1,822
1
vote
3
answers
120
views
How do we determine what freedoms people should have, and how does that process account for taboos, not just consent?
Why does consent matter, if taboo does not? Suppose more or less everyone agrees that incest or cannibalism is wrong, in what way is that thinner than the parties involved agreeing? Is it some kind of ...
- 3,132
9
votes
8
answers
4k
views
Is it true that a technological society has to weaken family ties and local communities if it is to function efficiently?
From The Unabomber Manifesto by Ted Kaczynski:
The breakdown of traditional values to some extent implies the breakdown of the bonds that hold together traditional small-scale social groups. The ...
- 349
1
vote
0
answers
26
views
According to the theory of structural functionalism, what causes social disequilibrium?
I understand that the basic premise of structural functionalism is that social institutions serve the function of maintaining social stability and promoting social solidarity, but I don't understand ...
- 131
-2
votes
3
answers
112
views
Is reality a "societal construct"? [closed]
What does it mean to say reality actually exists? Is it a product of society? If time - the fourth dimension is a societal construct, then shouldn't reality also be one?
0
votes
2
answers
94
views
Does anyone talk about a will for others to see themselves?
Does anyone talk about a will for others to see themselves? I'm being a little ambiguous, I'm sure, but am trying to give up on phrases like "good" and "evil" as well as the will ...
user70707
0
votes
1
answer
58
views
Is our current explosive rate of technological progression because we do science faster and easier OR it is simply happening due to unknown timing?
I often wonder if we are progressing so quickly because we are much more capable than our 18th century natural philosophers ancestors at doing science or we are just living in a period of rapid growth ...
- 415
1
vote
0
answers
45
views
Regarding classifications of elites
There seem to be two types of elite in general society. There is the elite whose privileges and responsibilities are roughly proportional (such as doctors), and then there are elites whose privileges ...
- 149
1
vote
2
answers
86
views
Live in stochastic harmony with your environment
Let's assume you are in the following situation: You have to decide between two Paths A and B. You know for sure that exactly one path has a return of 1, the other 0. You also know that A has the ...
- 19
4
votes
6
answers
524
views
Does every nation on Earth have a right to exist or do only peaceful nations have a right to exist?
I have been wondering lately as to what it is that gives every nation on Earth the right to exist.
Throughout human history, at any point in time, the Earth has been a mixed bag of nations that were ...
user68506
0
votes
2
answers
196
views
Would Karl Marx have been for or against workers having the choice to work from home?
I have been wondering lately if Karl Marx would have been for or against workers having the choice to work from home.
I only have a general knowledge of who Karl Marx was and about his overall ...
user68506
0
votes
0
answers
219
views
What is Kant's opinion on gossip?
Just curious this evening what Kant and other, contemporary, deontologists say about gossip. I don't mean deliberate lies, but a certain attitude to truth and truth telling in which both the ...
user67675
3
votes
3
answers
537
views
What is "high art"? [closed]
Does the difference with low art still matter, and is high art not merely socially sanctioned by class but superior to low art, to the extent of the latter being an embarrassing mistake?
Feel free to ...
user67675
2
votes
3
answers
204
views
Is everyone's sense of power always predicated on diminishing that of someone else's? [closed]
Why think that everyone's sense of power always predicated on diminishing that of someone else's, and is it the case? I think the question isn't a trivial "no reason to think it".
power ...
user67675
1
vote
1
answer
80
views
Is there a consensus that cultural, erotic, social capital exists and can be bought with each other and economic capital?
Is there a consensus that cultural, erotic, social capital exists and can be bought with each other and economic capital?
This was the basis of the great British class survey, and
differing ...
user67521
2
votes
1
answer
137
views
What is the name of sociological phenomena where selfish behavior of each individual leads to losses for all of them?
I am trying to identify a specific sociological phenomena which seems pretty obvious to me that it is well known and studied but after quite of googling, its name remains elusive - I'm just not ...
0
votes
1
answer
60
views
Is the task of philosophy to reduce fear?
There seems little contemporary work on 'fear'. I certainly couldn't see anything which gave it such important a role. But
Fear, in the Ethics, seems to be government’s most valuable means of ...
user67155
2
votes
1
answer
217
views
Reference request for philosophical texts on race
Is there even such a thing as the philosophy of race, or race viewed from a philosophical point of view? If so, I would like to read some references on the philosophy of race. I would be very ...
- 8,118
1
vote
2
answers
153
views
Is it unbiased to value social freedom more than scientific results
Is it unbiased or impersonal if we don't want to change our society towards what is right based on research into the biological grounding of psychology?
Say that scientists found that (a) the concept ...
0
votes
2
answers
443
views
Did any philosophers defend Slave Morality?
I think slave morality creates a peaceful society and Master morality would be negative for most people. To restrain ambition and desire is one of the reasons mankind have survived so long.
But slave ...
- 17
3
votes
7
answers
1k
views
Two ways of thinking about social reality (progressive/fluid vs conservative/structure)
Regarding topics on biological sex, gender, sexual orientation and relationships it seems there are broadly 2 ways of thinking about social reality (roughly corresponding to more progressive and more ...
- 55
2
votes
4
answers
107
views
To what extent can philosophical discipline permeate into normal life, e.g. the abortion debate?
As just one example of public debate where emotions run high: The abortion debate in the USA seems to be hopelessly polarised.
My rational approach would include:
Consider the safety health of the ...
2
votes
2
answers
239
views
Confucianism and other cultures/peoples
Are there considerations and reflections about other cultures and peoples (than Confucianism and confucianist societies) in Confucianism?
For instance concerning the kind of relationship a ...
- 1,758
7
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Philosophers answering "what happens to a society that does not believe in free wıll?"
The Scientific American article, What Happens to a Society That Does Not Believe in Free Wıll?, looks to answer the question from a research perspective and The clockwork universe: is free will an ...
- 173
1
vote
2
answers
333
views
What do Marx and Marxists say about the role of bureaucracy in socialism?
By bureaucracy, I mean that important state decisions are made by officials elected at best by their own party. Does Marx approve of this? Do any Marxists not approve of it?
user63756
1
vote
1
answer
107
views
What is the importance of intellectuals in shaping the society and the world? [closed]
What is the importance of intellectuals and intellectual thought in influencing the worldviews and beliefs of people, in shaping society and the world?
user27584
1
vote
1
answer
93
views
Can I agree to what I do not allow the sovereign?
Suppose we enter a social contract to bring about some power
Social contract arguments typically are that individuals have
consented, either explicitly or tacitly, to surrender some of their
freedoms ...
user63148
2
votes
2
answers
115
views
What are the arguments against modern technology, medicine and society? [closed]
In today's society, manual tasks have become automated. Digital communication devices have connected people across the globe. Medications and surgeries have lessened symptoms of illnesses, delayed ...
- 2,009
0
votes
2
answers
551
views
Is it morally wrong to deny food to the mother in this specific case?
A women has two sons, A and B. The son A has denied to keep her, take care of hers and give her food. The woman strongly loves Son A but not Son B. So, she decides to stay at Son A for most of the ...
- 25
2
votes
2
answers
228
views
Is it ethical to impose ethical values on others? [closed]
The question is motivated by reading the discussions on veganism:
Is 'veganism' a settled issue in Philosophy and Ethics?
Why is it okay to eat meat but not to be cruel to animals?
While these threads ...
- 1,839
4
votes
2
answers
156
views
What topics of philosophy should I study to understand the dialectics of societies?
I am new to this site, it will be really helpful if you can help me with tags.
I live in an area which is a socially, morally and intellectually very backward part of the world, although materially ...
- 100
-1
votes
3
answers
293
views
Is gender sex-based, socially constructed or both? [closed]
Does the mere existence of intersex people (and people with 1 XX chromosomes, for example XXY) destroy the claim that gender is based on biological sex?
Can this be considered a valid exception, and ...
- 107
1
vote
2
answers
283
views
Is evil neccessary to society?
Despite attempts to improve the world around us, evil continues to exist. What may come off as incredulous to someone wants to do no harm, may be reasonable to the people doing immoral actions.
Take ...
- 103