Is man a social animal?

[Beeth]

People often say man is a social creature, he needs contact with other people to stay balanced. But is this so? Maybe in the past, when there was no technology, but now people can spend most of their time alone doing multiple activities - books, games, tv etc. They don't need socializing at all.

So my question is, must we consider this aspect also as a changing phenomenon and not an intrinsic part of human behavior?

[Astarte]

"Social" doesn't just mean "hanging out with other people" it means engaging in any activity or function derived from society itself. All of which you mentioned - books, games, tv, are products of society as a collective. So, yes, humans always have been, and always will be "social animals".

[Questionable]

When people say that man is social, it does not merely mean chatting. It means that man produces together in a collective way. Even if you're a shut-in, you still exist in a society because the books, games, television, house, electricity, so on and so forth, were all produced by a society of humans.

A society is nothing more than humans entering into definite social relations with each other. But, as the society is shaped by humans, the society in turn shapes them, thus much of the selfishness and greed we see in capitalist societies is a result of a society that is based upon individual private property.

[Ostrinski]

I would say that what constitutes human behavioral patterns is heavily dependent upon the immediate material needs of the individual in question related to their relationship to society. What we are as a species is relative to what we biologically need.

That being said, I'm a pretty non-social person and I often feel quite lonely for inexplainable reasons. I have what seem like natural urges to be with others. Though, this could be part of the socialization process .

[Beeth]

I am talking about the interaction part here. It is said that people go mad if alone (even if they have everything) since there is no human contact. I am not talking about collective action producing things like tv etc. I am tslking about interaction alone.

[PC LOAD LETTER]

People often say man is a social creature, he needs contact with other people to stay balanced. But is this so? Maybe in the past, when there was no technology, but now people can spend most of their time alone doing multiple activities - books, games, tv etc. They don't need socializing at all.

So my question is, must we consider this aspect also as a changing phenomenon and not an intrinsic part of human behavior?
All activities mentioned are cultural constructions of what is an appropriate way to spend your time alone. Culture defines what is acceptable and is a 'social construct', even if it what you're doing at the time is associated with being a loner.




I am talking about the interaction part here. It is said that people go mad if alone (even if they have everything) since there is no human contact. I am not talking about collective action producing things like tv etc. I am tslking about interaction alone.

Solitary animals generally do not possess a capacity for culture (AFAIK). For you to be solitary, unaffected by culture and other social constructs, you'd have to be on your own pretty much from birth without meaningful contact from others, trotting around butt-naked and strangling buffalo with your bare hands for dinner (if you could have figured out how to do that out on your own or even figured out that you need to do that to survive, which is doubtful. Any anthropologists here that could elaborate?)

Example: I've learned, culturally, that it's okay to fuck off to the woods by myself for a week to camp and go fishing if I want to (and can afford the time off from work, whatever). It is also okay to be a loner in general, but being a loner does not dissociate you from culture or society in general.

[Lynx]

What are examples of asocial animals?

[Rafiq]

What are examples of asocial animals?

50% of people on this site.




(just kidding but i had to seize this opportunity)

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[Permanent Revolutionary]

What are examples of asocial animals?

That's actually a good question. When we talk about "social" animals, zoologists often consider ants and bees.
An asocial animal could then be an animal, which only shows social activity in the breeding season, for example.

[Hit The North]

What are examples of asocial animals?

Spiders are pretty asocial.


I am talking about the interaction part here. It is said that people go mad if alone (even if they have everything) since there is no human contact. I am not talking about collective action producing things like tv etc. I am tslking about interaction alone.

The point is that even when you're on your own, reading a book or playing a video game, you are still interacting with other humans - in your head. You are having conversations with the author or the characters of the story. These stories (whether in a game or a book) only make sense to us because we are able to bring our social skills, such as empathy, to bear upon the information in front of us. If we didn't have these social skills then the stories would not make sense to us.

[Dean]

People often say man is a social creature, he needs contact with other people to stay balanced. But is this so? Maybe in the past, when there was no technology, but now people can spend most of their time alone doing multiple activities - books, games, tv etc. They don't need socializing at all.

So my question is, must we consider this aspect also as a changing phenomenon and not an intrinsic part of human behavior?

It is arguable how man spends our time. It is social to enjoy the arts, but not necessarily healthy if human contact besides this is gone.

But enjoying the arts is a conversation - only truly one sided in cases where artists don't get any feedback from their readers. Man is still driven to be social and a profound sense of loneliness is sure to plague just about anyone who cuts themselves off in the manner you describe.

[Lynx]

Spiders are pretty asocial.
:cool:


The point is that even when you're on your own, reading a book or playing a video game, you are still interacting with other humans - in your head. You are having conversations with the author or the characters of the story. These stories (whether in a game or a book) only make sense to us because we are able to bring our social skills, such as empathy, to bear upon the information in front of us. If we didn't have these social skills then the stories would not make sense to us.
Is being vicariously social equivalent to being social?
For example...


It is arguable how man spends our time. It is social to enjoy the arts, but not necessarily healthy if human contact besides this is gone.

But enjoying the arts is a conversation - only truly one sided in cases where artists don't get any feedback from their readers. Man is still driven to be social and a profound sense of loneliness is sure to plague just about anyone who cuts themselves off in the manner you describe.
Instead of experiencing loneliness, I enjoy solitude and thrive because of it. I wish I could have more time alone, but material necessity and socioeconomic reality gets in the way of that. According to Dean's definition, I don't exist.

[Yuppie Grinder]

If anyone argues that humanity is not a social animal (neoliberals) they are braindead.