Social Intelligence and Human Progress
Doc1: The Science of Social Facts
The Empirical Social Sciences
The empirical social sciences study social facts and theories of formal sciences.
Theory: Sociology: Individual and Society
Doc2: The Twin Births: Human and Social
The Social Being Makes Us People
Our humanity, rooted in biological needs, requires another birth: social personhood.
Theory: Sociology: Individual and Society
Doc3: The Social Constitution of Humanity
Solo Through Society
We are individuals, but we thrive and develop within the group.
Theory: Individual-Society Relations
Doc4: Location and Status
What is Social Status?
Social status is not based on economics but on a social concept of honor.
Theory: Social Interaction Systems: Status and Roles
Doc5: The Social Character of Our Existence
The Sociable Individual
The individual needs society to develop as a person.
Theory: Forms of Social Grouping: Group, Society, State
Doc6: The State from a Sociological Perspective
State and Violence
From a sociological perspective, violence is intrinsically linked to the state.
Theory: Forms of Social Grouping: Group, Society, State
Doc7: A Society of Equals
Equality
With few exceptions, society must look after the interests of all, not just a few.
Theory: Evolution of the Forms of Social Organization
Doc8: The Value of Individualism
The Value of the Individual
The value of the individual, not individualism, is based on respect for human life.
Theory: Characteristics of Social Organization at Present
Doc9: Defining Socialization
Socialization
Defining socialization.
Theory: What is Socialization?
Doc10: Society’s Debt
Paying the Debt
Above all, individuals must pay the debt they owe to society.
Theory: Achievements and Social Responsibility Contracted
Doc11: Shared Construction
Slow and Shared Construction
Social intelligence and language are built and developed gradually through the whole group.
Theory: Conquest and Learning of Freedom
Doc12: The Value of Education
Education
We should provide education for the future to achieve cosmopolitan citizenship.
Theory: The Institutionalization of Education
The Intelligence and Social Achievement
Human intelligence is expressed and developed through language. There is no thought without language. Intelligence is a social achievement. This means, firstly, that by living in society, we have been able to accumulate and enhance opportunities for our intelligence. From primitive societies, we have evolved into more complex societies. Moreover, this complexity involves the accumulation of problems of all kinds: ethical, political, etc., but also an accumulation of knowledge and an ever-expanding repertoire of solutions. This is the dynamics of human progress: we have an intelligence that must be shared because our problems are common. All individualism and autonomy of the individual within the group can only rely on the complicity of others.
The Conquest and Learning of Freedom
One of the classic definitions of humankind is to be “free.” The socialization process also involves the exercise of human freedom. This can be seen at two levels:
- Individual Level: The ability to act freely is a learned ability. Freedom is not a real and stable property of human beings, but a culturally created possibility arising from living in society. It’s like language: we learn to be free by first learning to control ourselves, by obeying. The child learns to control themselves, i.e., to exercise their freedom.
- Political Level: Society offers a conquest of freedom and rights acquired throughout history. The history of human sociability is a story of struggles and victories to achieve a better life. Thus, the rights and liberties won acquire an institutional value, guaranteed by state force. The result is that by being born in a state that guarantees certain rights and freedoms, even before we can exercise them, we have them guaranteed. This is what we mean when we say that freedom is an achievement and a social debt.
The Institutionalization of Education
We are not born free and intelligent beings; we learn to be so through education and learning through all social actors. That’s why education is so important to human life. There is no known culture that has not devoted an important place to education. So, it should be included among the social achievements. Developed societies are increasingly devoting more resources to education systems. But when it comes to improving education, we refer to the Enlightenment ideal of humanity to “improve.” If who we are depends largely on education, it means that we can intervene in it, that we choose our life projects. This assertion is based on a common ethical project based on dignity and human rights. This is a momentous issue for human life.