Institutions in the social sphere of society. Social sphere and its importance in the life of society

Social sphere society can be considered in two aspects.

Firstly, The social sphere of society is the sphere where human social needs for housing, food, clothing, education, health maintenance (medical care), pensions, and protection from life-threatening natural phenomena are satisfied. The well-being of society and the individual is closely related to the level and quality of development of the social sphere of society. Politics of modern Russian state is aimed at developing the social sphere of society through the development of special social programs and national projects: “Education”, “Affordable Housing”, “Healthcare”.

Secondly, the social sphere of society is associated with the identification of various social communities and their relationships. Let us dwell on this second aspect in more detail. IN educational literature it is often discussed within the framework of the topic “The Social Structure of Society.”

Social community is a collection of people united by historically established, stable connections and relationships and possessing a number of common characteristics (traits) that give it a unique identity. The basis of social communities is the objective (economic, territorial, etc.) connection between its members, which has developed in their real life. At the same time, spiritual factors can also be the basis of social community: mutual language, traditions, value orientations, etc. A social community is also characterized by its qualitative integrity, which makes it possible to distinguish this community from other associations of people. And finally, social community is expressed in the community of historical destinies of people, general trends, and prospects for their development.

Different in nature, scale, social role, etc. social communities are part of social structure society. Social structure of society is a historically established, relatively stable system of connections and relationships between various elements of society as a whole. It is generally accepted basic elements of social structure societies:

Individuals with their status and social roles (functions);

Socio-ethnic communities (clan, tribe, nationality, nation);

The people as a social community;

Classes as social communities, as well as such large social communities as castes, estates;

Small social groups (work and educational groups, military units, family, etc.).

The first specifically human form of community was genus- a consanguineous association of people connected by collective work and joint defense of common interests, as well as a common language, morals, and traditions.

The union of two or more genera constituted tribe. Like a clan, a tribe is an ethnic community, since it continues to be based on consanguineous ties.

The disintegration of tribal ties and the isolation of blood relatives leads to the formation of a new community - a nationality. This is no longer a purely ethnic, but a socio-ethnic community, which is based not on consanguinity, but on territorial, neighborly ties. Nationality is a community of people historically formed on the basis of slave-owning and feudal methods of production, which has its own language, territory, a well-known community of culture, and the beginnings of economic ties. It is a relatively unstable community. Compared to the tribe, there is a new level here economic ties, but at the same time there is still no integrity and depth of economic life that arises in a nation.

Nations are characteristic of the period of development of capitalism and the formation of commodity-money market relations. Nation is a historically established stable form of association of people who have a common territory, economy, language, culture and psychological make-up. Unlike a nationality, a nation is a more stable community of people, and stability is given to it by deep economic ties. But the condition for the formation of a nation became not only objective (natural-territorial, economic) factors, but also subjective ones - language, traditions, values, common psychological makeup. Among the factors that bind the nation together are the established ethnic characteristics labor activity, clothing, food, communication, life and family structure, etc. The common historical past, the uniqueness of the economy, culture, way of life, and traditions form the national character. In history we observe a diversity of nations and each has its own unique flavor and contributes to the development of world civilization and culture.

The most important characteristic A nation is national identity. National identity- this is an awareness of the spiritual unity of one’s people, a common historical destiny, a social-state community, this is a commitment to national values ​​- language, traditions, customs, faith, this is patriotism. National self-awareness has enormous regulative and life-affirming power; it contributes to the unity of people, the preservation of sociocultural identity, and counteracts the factors that destroy it.

A healthy national consciousness should be distinguished from nationalism. The basis of nationalism is the idea of ​​national superiority and national exclusivity. Nationalism is a form of manifestation of national egoism, leading to the exaltation of one’s own nation over all others, based not on the actual advantages and successes of the nation, but on vanity, conceit, conceit, and blindness to one’s own shortcomings. There is a simple truth: the higher the national self-awareness of a people, the stronger the sense of national dignity, the more respect and love they treat other peoples. Any people become spiritually richer and more beautiful when they respect other people.

The concept of “people” is used in literature in different senses. It can designate the population of a particular country (for example, the people of France, Russia, etc.). In this case, it is not just an external designation of the entire population of society, but a qualitatively defined social reality, a complex social organism. This meaning brings together the concepts of people and nation.

As a social community people- this is an association of people, primarily engaged in social production, making a decisive contribution to social progress, having common spiritual aspirations, interests, and some common features of spiritual appearance. Thus, not only objective factors (joint labor activity and common contribution to the implementation of progressive changes in society), but also subjective-conscious, spiritual factors (traditions, moral values) integrate such a social community as a people.

The unity of conscious and unconscious values, norms, and attitudes inherent in the people and their representatives is embodied in mentality. Mentality ensures the traditionality of life and activities of members of a social community, forms a sense of solidarity in them, and underlies the distinction between “us and them.” The following are indicated in the literature as characteristic features of the Russian people, representing their mentality: conciliarity, communalism (collectivism), patriotism, the desire for social justice, the priority of serving the common cause over personal interests, spirituality, “all-humanity,” statehood, etc.

Classes- these are large social communities that began to form during the period of decomposition of the tribal system. The credit for the discovery of classes belongs to French historians of the 19th century. F. Guizot, O. Thierry, F. Minier. The role of classes and class struggle in the history of the development of society is analyzed in detail in Marxist philosophy.

Expanded class definition given by V.I. Lenin in his work “The Great Initiative”: “Classes are large groups of people that differ in their place in a historically defined system of social production, in their relationship (mostly enshrined and formalized in laws) to the means of production, in their role V public organization labor, and therefore, according to the methods of obtaining and the size of the share of social wealth that they have. Classes are groups of people from which one can appropriate the work of another, due to the difference in their place in a certain structure of the social economy.”

The Marxist interpretation of class is characterized by an understanding material production as the most important objective factor in the constitution of classes. When identifying a class as a social community, the emphasis is on the specific role of classes in the social organization of labor, and not simply on their work activity as such. At the same time, a class community, like any other social community, can and should be considered not only in terms of objective-economic, but also in terms of conscious-spiritual characteristics. This means that the characteristics of classes include certain socio-psychological traits, attitudes, value orientations, preferences, lifestyle, etc., characteristic of a given group of people. Many authors consider class consciousness as a special characteristic of a class, which involves the transformation of a “class in itself” into a “class for itself.”

In modern literature, in addition to Marxist literature, there are other interpretations of classes and class differentiation of society, reflecting the reality of the 20th – 21st centuries. (R. Dahrendorf, E. Giddens, etc.). Thus, M. Weber owns a class-status model of social differentiation of society. By classes, Weber understands groups that have access to the market and offer certain services on it (owners, working class, petty bourgeoisie, intelligentsia, white-collar employees). Along with classes, Weber identifies status groups, differing in lifestyle, prestige, as well as parties, whose existence is based on the distribution of power.

Currently, many Western and Russian philosophers distinguish in the social structure of economically developed countries three large social groups s: upper (ruling) class, which includes the owners of fixed assets of production and capital, class of production and non-production workers, uniting persons of wage labor who do not own the means of production and are engaged primarily in performing labor in various spheres of material and intangible production, middle class, which includes small entrepreneurs, the overwhelming majority of the intelligentsia and the middle group of employees.

Historical development society indicates that the trend in the development of the social structure of society is its constant complication, the emergence of new communities depending on the level of the technical and technological basis and the type of civilization. In modern philosophical and sociological literature, when analyzing social communities, such concepts as “marginal group”, “elite layer”, etc. are widely used.

The Russian philosopher and sociologist made a great contribution to the study of the social structure of society P.A. Sorokin (1889-1968), founder of the theory social stratification And social mobility.

Social stratification– a concept denoting the existence in society of social inequality, hierarchy, its division into strata (layers), identified on the basis of any one or a number of characteristics. Most modern researchers adhere to the concept of “multidimensional stratification”, according to which layers are distinguished on the basis of many criteria (occupation or profession, income, education, level of culture, type of housing, area of ​​residence, etc.).

P.A. Sorokin analyzed in detail three main forms of stratification: economic, political, social (professional) and in each of them he identified several strata, showed the interweaving of three main forms. By social mobility, Sorokin understood any transition of an individual from one social position to another. Highlighted two main types of social mobility: horizontal and vertical. Under horizontal mobility meant the transition of an individual from one social group to another located at the same level (for example, the movement of an individual while maintaining his professional status from one enterprise to another). Vertical mobility associated with the movement of an individual from one social layer to another. Depending on the direction of movement, there are two types of vertical mobility: ascending– movement from a lower layer to a higher one, i.e. social uplift, and descending– moving from a higher social position to a lower one, i.e. social descent.

The concept of social stratification and social mobility does not eliminate, but complements the concept of class division of society. It is capable of concretizing the macro-analysis of the structure of society and more accurately determining the changes occurring in society.

When analyzing social communities by quantitative parameter, large social communities are distinguished - macro level social structure of society (races, nations, castes, estates, classes, etc.) etc. calf level The social structure of society consists of small social groups, among which the family occupies a special place.

Family- a small social group based on marriage or consanguinity, whose members are connected by a common life, mutual moral responsibility and mutual assistance. The legal basis of the family is the registration of marriage relations between a man and a woman in accordance with the laws existing in society. However, the highest moral law for marriage is love. The most important function of the family is procreation and raising children.

The family is a historical phenomenon; it has changed in the process of development of society (group, pair, monogamous). Marriage and family relations are influenced not only by socio-economic, political, legal factors, but also by cultural (moral, aesthetic values ​​and traditions). The nuclear family, consisting of husband, wife and children, predominates in our era, relationships in it are characterized by informality interpersonal relationships, the weakening of economic, legal and religious ties that held the former family together and the increasing weight of moral and psychological ties.

In any society, in addition to the social structure, there is a natural differentiation of people, i.e. dividing people according to natural criteria. This is a division by race- historically established areal groups of people connected by a unity of origin, which is expressed in common hereditary morphological and physiological characteristics, varying within certain limits. There is a division of people by gender - into men and women, by age criteria - into children, youth, mature people, old people. There is a connection and interaction between the social and natural differentiation of people. Thus, in any society there are elderly people, but in certain social conditions these people form a group of pensioners. Differences between male and female organisms affect the social division of labor. Examples can be continued, but they will all indicate that society, its social structure, without abolishing natural differentiations, endows them with certain social qualities.

The social sphere, therefore, represents the interconnection of various macro- and microsocial communities. This relationship is manifested in the interpenetration and interweaving of social communities: a national community may include people, classes, the same class may consist of representatives of different nations, etc. But by interpenetrating, communities are preserved as qualitatively stable social formations. Between communities there are diverse types and types of relations (class, national, etc.), which also interact and mutually influence each other. And this entire complex set of social communities and their relationships forms the social sphere in its entirety.

One of the main subsystems of society is the social sphere. In this article we will get acquainted with the characteristics of the social sphere of society, learn about its constituent aspects and existing problems.

Elements of social structure

The concept of “social subsystem” has several meanings:

  • these are all kinds of relationships between subjects of society;
  • pension provision, social protection part of the population.

Based on the foregoing, we conclude that the social sphere of society covers the entire life of a person, starting from living conditions, work, health, leisure, ending with national and social-class relations.

The elements of the structure are:

  • Territory ;

Each community of people lives in a certain territory (city, town, country).

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  • Demographic component ;

This includes the birth rate, mortality rate, percentage of sexes, age and sex composition, and population counts.

  • Ethnic ;

The ancient forms are considered to be clan, tribe, which develop into a nationality and a nation. IN modern world the people are a special community.

  • Vocational and educational ;

Differences between people by level of education (secondary, higher) and socio-professional characteristics (mental or physical work).

  • Class ;

Inequality of income, living standards, and division of labor give rise to the emergence of social classes. In modern times, the concept of “class” has been replaced by “social groups”.

In ancient and medieval times there were castes and classes. An example of the inequality between the division of privileges is the nobility and the peasants. In India, the “untouchable” caste could not become a full part of the community.

  • Family and marriage;

One of the institutions of the social sphere is the family, which is based on marriage, common everyday life, mutual assistance, and responsibility.

  • Economic ;

Based on and regulated by the level of income of members of society.

Problems and functions of the social sphere

Income inequality has always been considered the main problem of society. With the development of society there appeared two solutions of this task:

  • providing equal opportunities to each subject to arrange their life;
  • providing certain benefits to create a decent life (success depends on personal effort and effort).

An important problem in last years became equal rights for men and women. However, the double burden on women (work and home) results in a weakening of the family structure for society (declining birth rate, lack of proper control by parents over the behavior of children).

The main function of the subsystem is to ensure the reproduction of the life activity of subjects. Being an independent sphere, the social subsystem interacts with the economic, political and spiritual spheres. Taken together, all of the above subsystems exist as an environment for the development and reproduction of society.

Besides functions of the social sphere are :

  • regulation of the distribution, consumption and exchange of produced joint goods or products;
  • ensuring interaction between social institutions;
  • providing the subject with the minimum necessary needs;
  • formation and development of creative qualities;
  • security, assistance, support for the disabled, social services.

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The development of any society directly depends on the activities of its members in any of the spheres - economic, social, cultural, spiritual, everyday, scientific, political, industrial or others. Depending on what industry people belong to, they are in relationships with each other, being within their social space.

As a result of this interaction, the social sphere of society is formed. In the past, each layer of it was fenced off from others with its own traditions, rules or rights. For example, previously it was possible to get into the noble strata of society only by birthright.

Social system

Each society develops according to systems specific to it. It consists not only of social subjects, but also accommodates all forms of human activity. Society is a very complex organization that includes numerous subsystems that together represent spheres social activities its members.

When stable relationships are established between its subjects, social life is formed, which includes:

  • numerous types of human activity (religious, educational, political and others);
  • social institutions, for example, parties, schools, churches, families, etc.;
  • various directions of communication between people, for example, in economic, political or other spheres;

A modern person can be in different social areas at the same time and come into contact with other people in some aspects of life.

For example, a waiter (low social level) in an expensive restaurant is associated with members of the noble elite, serving them at the table.

Spheres of public life

There are many types of human activity, but all of them can be divided into 4 main categories:

  • the social sphere concerns the relationships between different sectors of society;
  • economic – relates to actions related to material goods;
  • the political sphere is characterized by movements of various classes within the framework of their civil rights and preferences;
  • spiritual consists of people’s attitudes towards various types of material, intellectual, religious and moral values.

Each of these categories is divided into its own spheres, in each of which human activity occurs, limited by its boundaries. In modern society there are no sharp boundaries between different social areas, so the same individual can be in several of them at once.

For example, during the times of slavery or serfdom, these boundaries existed, and what the master could do was not allowed to stink. Today a person can work in different fields, adhere to certain political views, choose a religion and have controversial opinion about material goods.

Economic area of ​​public activity

The socio-economic sphere deals with the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of various material goods. Human activity is aimed at implementing scientific and technological achievements through inter-industrial relations between people, the exchange of experience and information and the redistribution of values.

This sphere is the space within which the economic life of society is formed, based on the interaction of all sectors of both the domestic and international economy. In this area, both the individual’s material interest in the results of his work and his creative abilities are realized under the guidance of management institutions.

Without this sphere, the development of no country is possible. As soon as the economy declines, other areas begin to collapse public life.

Political sphere

In any society, no matter what stage of development it is at, political confrontations occur. They are the result of the fact that various parties, social groups and national communities strive to occupy the dominant step on the political ladder.

Each individual individually strives to influence the processes taking place in the country. To make this possible, they unite into parties that correspond to their civic position and embody their political will.

This area of ​​public life plays important role in the formation of healthy competition between different parties, and thereby influences the democratic development of countries where people openly express their opinions.

Area of ​​spiritual activity

The spiritual sphere represents the attitude of people in society to those values ​​that are created, distributed and assimilated by all its members. These include not only material objects (painting, sculpture, architecture, literature), but also intellectual ones (music, scientific achievements, human knowledge and moral standards).

The spiritual sphere accompanied man throughout the development of civilizations and manifested itself in art, education, religions and much more.

Man in the structure of society

The social sphere is the area of ​​relationships between people belonging to different class and national groups. Their integrity is determined by demographic (old people, youth), professional (doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc.) and other characteristics, whose social security must be respected taking into account the rights of all members of society.

The main direction in this area is the creation of optimal living conditions for every person, his health, education, work and social justice for all segments of the population, no matter what class division exists in the country.

Depending on how satisfied the needs of each individual, as well as families, national minorities, religious and work groups, are, one can judge the well-being of society as a whole.

Main items of expenditure in the social sphere

The budget of any country consists of many items regulating where taxpayers' money goes and how it is distributed, but only in highly developed societies does the majority of these funds go to social programs.

The main expense items that should be included in the budget are:

  • healthcare;
  • education;
  • culture;
  • housing and communal facilities;
  • social programs to protect the rights and provide for citizens.

With the advent of the first communities, and later states, primitive systems were formed to protect and support the poor.

For example, in some ancient countries it was customary to give part of the harvest or produced goods to the general treasury. These funds were distributed to the poor in times of need, such as lean years or times of war.

Social models of countries of the world

Depending on the extent to which the state has or does not have influence on the processes of distribution of goods in all layers of society, it is divided into several models:

  1. A paternalistic system in which the population is completely dependent on the state and submits to its will. The social sphere of people’s lives in such a country can be extremely low (Cuba, Russia, North Korea and others), and people are perceived as “cogs” in the system that can be punished, destroyed, or encouraged. In this model of society, the population completely shifts responsibility for their lives to the government.
  2. The Swedish model is considered one of the most progressive in the world, since its economy is 95% built on private capital, but the social sphere is completely controlled by the state, which distributes most of the budget to healthcare, education and social programs. In Sweden, not only schools and higher education institutions are free, but also medicine for children and youth under 21 years of age. Therefore, this country has some of the highest taxes in the world (60%) and the best quality of life.
  3. Socially minded models are characterized by a fairly large influence of the state on the support and regulation of social programs. In such countries, special conditions are created for running small and medium-sized businesses, tax incentives are introduced for entrepreneurs, since the main direction of development of such a model is to encourage people to take the initiative to improve the quality of life into their own hands. Vivid examples of such societies are Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

The development of the social sphere in any of these models directly depends on the system and state of the economy that exist in the country.

Sphere of culture

Depending on what stage of development the socio-cultural sphere of a country is at, one can generally judge the well-being of its citizens. It is in this area that all the industries important for the quality of life of people are located:

  • healthcare – the number of free hospitals and clinics compared to paid medical care and its quality;
  • culture – visiting objects with objects of national heritage should be accessible to all segments of the population. It is also important to protect the intellectual property of cultural figures and decent payment for their work and creativity;
  • education – availability and level of free school and higher education for all segments of the population;
  • sport and physical education is an area of ​​culture whose main task is to maintain health and beauty, increase the life expectancy of the population;
  • social security are programs aimed at helping low-income people or large families.

If in the internal policy of a state, both the cultural and social spheres occupy a leading place, then its population prospers.

Purpose of social activity

Management of the social sphere is carried out by government institutions and institutions within their departments. Objects that carry out control over the organization and implementation of programs necessary to improve the quality of life of members of society are divided into regional, regional or local.

The purpose of the social activities of these institutions is:

  • protecting people's health and life;
  • providing them with housing;
  • equal rights for all to education and work;
  • provision after a person retires;
  • the right to self-expression and creative development.

The economics of the social sphere directly depends on how the distribution of goods and services is carried out by various government bodies. In developed countries, this is done by the state, monitoring the standard of living of all segments of the population.

Purpose of social activity

The social sphere in its intended purpose is:

  • in human resource development;
  • servicing the population at household, trade, housing and other levels;
  • social protection through the system of providing material assistance, insurance, ensuring working and living conditions.

Particular attention and support should be given to those authorities and organizations that are involved in the distribution of social benefits in society.

Tuisheva Maryam Ravilievna, postgraduate student, Kazan National Research Technical University named after. A.N.Tupoleva, Russia

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IN social philosophy, sociology, and other social sciences, the concept of “social sphere of society” is widely used. In assessing the essence of the social sphere of society and in its understanding, there are usually two perspectives - scientific and administrative. In science, first of all, in social philosophy and sociology, the social sphere of society is represented by the sphere of society, in which the whole palette is present substantively social connections and relationships. In administrative and everyday terms, the social sphere includes different kinds activities and relationships non-productive, public character as applied to a person. Because of this, it is worthwhile to understand in detail what the social sphere of society really is.

We noted that society has a centuries-old structure and represents the social space of society, changing historically as social conditions of life change: natural, technical, social, environmental and others. Here we can cite two classical points of view: Marxist and civilizational. In the concept of socio-economic formation (Marxist approach), the noted conditions were taken into account specifically: there was only one determination - party-ideological. In accordance with the civilizational approach to the development of society - the Western scientific paradigm of A. Toynbee, O. Spengler and other thinkers, the formation and functioning of society had other factors of determination, the basis of which was the peculiarities of the existence of a particular civilization.

Based on two concepts, it can be noted that each major stage in the history of society - a formation or civilization - must have its own society, its own social type, its own social system, that is, the presence of a certain structured composition: social institutions and communities, social groups and strata, and most importantly - connections and relationships between them and within them.

When it comes to a socio-economic formation or civilization, what is presented is a historically established type of society, a certain level of its development and, accordingly, a specific type of its society. The change of one socio-economic formation to another, the dynamics of civilizations lead to essential changes in the social sphere, that is, changes in content and forms social relations and institutions. This process is natural and arouses increased scientific interest, because the social sphere of society is not passive in relation to objectively changing civilizational or socio-economic conditions of existence. Its own dynamics are determined by a number of internal and external factors, possessing a certain stability and sufficient independence, due to the preservation of social relations of the previous social system (for example, in a feudal society - social groups of slaves and relationships determined by their activities; in a post-industrial society - social groups of hired workers with functional features their existence). However, a more advanced method of production in the formational construction of society (in combination with a number of other factors - political, territorial, ethnic, globalization, etc.) and the cultural factor in the civilizational approach are gradually replacing outdated (archaic) social formations and their inherent relationships. This process is not easy, but natural for the social sphere, that is, for society.

Of great importance for understanding the essence of the social sphere of society’s life and the process of its formation are such well-known categories as “social space”, “social environment”, “society”, “society”; In addition, it is necessary to know the structure of social life, which sphere-by-sphere (structurally-functionally) determines the entire system of social relations: economic and environmental, managerial and pedagogical, scientific and artistic, medical and physical education, defense and public security. What is important here is the realization that the emergence of each system-forming institution in the life of society, that is, its sphere, was determined by the basic form social activities, which gave rise to these relationships. Economy was formed as a sphere of social life, an independent system-forming institution of social life through a system of relations of production, consumption, distribution and exchange of goods and services through activities necessary for the whole society. Ecology- through a system of relationships that ensure preservation environment, its restoration and selective improvement, as well as the protection of humans from the harmful effects of natural factors. Control- through a system of relationships in the development, adoption, implementation and correlation of strategic, tactical and operational decisions, the need to bear responsibility for their results. Pedagogy- through relationships that arise in the process of activity in acquiring knowledge, skills and attitudes, that is, in the process of education, training and upbringing. The science- through a system of relationships reflecting activities to obtain new knowledge and create innovations. Art- through the specifics of the relationship between the artistic and artistic-applied spectrums of activity and the mutual connection between their creator and consumer. Medicine- through relationships in professional fields activities for diagnosis, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of people. Physical Culture - through the relationship of harmonious physical development of a person using a modern physical education base and the latest techniques training. Defense- through a system of relationships that ensure application Armed Forces to protect society and its institutions from possible external armed aggression and equip them modern types weapons and military equipment. Public Safety- through a system of relations that develop in the specifics of her multifaceted professional activities: police, judicial, security, intelligence, diplomatic, customs, special, etc., guaranteeing comprehensive protection of public institutions and the rights of people in the country and abroad. All of the above reflects the functional nature public relations, on the basis of which the spheral system of society’s life is built, in which the key role is played by man, the individual, and society. The sphere of society is the social space of society with its inherent social relations, which are “woven” into the whole variety of social relations. But the social sphere of society is not a system-forming institution of social life, since it is not built on the principle of the basic form of social activity, with its historically inherent traditions, principles, norms, and culture. It holistically reflects the social space of society with its social structure: individuals, social groups, social communities, social institutions and their inherent relationships. The “social sphere”, in this meaning, is not built into the typological series of “spheres of public life”, the nature of the relations of which is determined by institutional activity and is presented above.

The social sphere is the historically formed social space of people’s lives, in which there are stable connections and relationships between various social elements of society: individuals, groups, communities, institutions. The social sphere is the sphere of society, substantively human education, in which social relations of people are structured. The social sphere is the historically established social space of society. It should not be confused with the everyday and administrative understanding of the “social sphere”, reduced to institutions non-productive nature, functionally designed to satisfy human needs in various areas of life: in the field of health care, in the field of education, in the field of employment, in the field of pension provision, in the field of protecting the rights of children and motherhood, etc. They represent elements of a social, civil, administrative and legal, and not a “purely” social nature. Specifically, the social in them is people, with their feelings, experiences, needs, relationships, activities. Therefore, scientific - philosophical, sociological, pedagogical, historical concept"social sphere" is not analogous to the administrative and household use the term “social sphere” as a kind of “social sphere”. In the first case, the “social sphere” is the sphere of society, covering the historically established social space of society with its inherent social relations and institutions generated by human activity; in the second case, the “social sphere” is understood as the functioning of federal, regional and local administrative structures, which, by their purpose, are obliged to deal substantively with life problems population, that is, to perform official duties.

In this regard, it is advisable to determine the environment in which social relations manifest themselves, and for this it is necessary to understand the differences between the social sphere of society and social existence. These differences are fundamental and of an essential nature, although there are individual theoretical constructs that do not draw boundaries between them. Social sphere of society- this is the sphere of his social relations that arise in the process of activity and are human, that is, social in nature. These relationships arise directly within and between social communities and individuals - people, personalities, persons, social structures: tribal, ethnic, demographic, stratification, settlement, national, family. Social existence- this is all space human life with the inclusion of a full range of economic, environmental, managerial, pedagogical, scientific, artistic, medical, physical education, defense and, for the safety of society, basic forms social activities, as well as the substantive ones that fill them species professional activities with their inherent relationships (for example, in the field of economics - financial and industrial; in the field of management - leadership and execution, etc.).

Social is always a more capacious concept than social, although the latter is built into all types of social relations, characterizing them from the human, personal, personal side in the economic and scientific, managerial and pedagogical, defense and medical and other spheres, that is, the system-forming institutions of society. .

Here it is appropriate to recall the point of view of K. Marx and F. Engels on the explanation of the concepts of “public” and “social”, which they outlined in a number of their works when analyzing society, the processes occurring in it, and the relationships that develop. They used the concept “geBellschaftlich” - “social” to designate “social relations”, “social needs”, “social connections”, etc. in cases where there was a need to speak about society as a whole, in the interaction of all spheres of his life. The concept “sozial” - “social”, was used by them in their research the nature of people's relationships with each other, that is, “purely” human relations that arise in the process of interaction between people, individuals and social groups.

In this regard, when characterizing the social in the public, it is advisable to use the concept society, which is the human (social) basis of society and one of its three subsystems. Along with society, the social system includes an industrial-technical subsystem (man-made artificial environment) and an ecological subsystem (natural environment modified by man). Society - these are people involved in the process of social relations through their own activities, with their own specific social formations (family, team, group), as well as needs and abilities. The components of society - needs, abilities, activities, relationships, institutions - form its structure. The structure of society reflects the content and form of the social space where various social relationships of people are formed, function and develop: individuals, personalities, persons, social groups. Society is the social space of a society in which all its social relations are integrated.

The basis of social relations are needs determined by individual or group material and spiritual factors. Therefore, the regulation of social relations is objectified, for the most part, by traditional (moral) rules and norms of people’s lives, which are implemented on the basis of the principles of formal equality, freedom and justice. The basis of social relations the institutional needs of society are regulated mainly by legal norms - laws, decrees, regulations. That's why social relations are personalized, and social relations are institutionalized.

The social sphere (social space) includes all elements of the social structure of society - individuals, social communities and groups, social institutions and strata, and most importantly - the relationships existing between them and within them. Because of this, it seems appropriate to dwell in more detail on the social structure of society.

Social structure of society there is the integrity of all social formations functioning in it, taken in the totality of connections and relationships. Social structure also represents the historical type of relations of society. In relation to Marxism - primitive communal, slaveholding, feudal, industrial. A different approach - regional type relations of society, reflecting national specifics, socio-economic and political features: Latin American, European, Asian, African. The social structure of society presupposes the unity of territory, a common language, the unity of economic life, the unity social norms, stereotypes and values ​​that allow groups of people to interact sustainably. The factor of the nation’s mentality is also important. Therefore, the social structure represents the qualitative definition of society, combining social institutions and formations, the relationships inherent in them, as well as generally valid norms and values.

The central link in the social structure of society is a person, an individual, a personality, as a subject of social relations, as a person. He is a concrete representative of each element of the social structure. It is included in the system and execution of a wide variety of statuses and social roles, simultaneously carrying out his activities as a family member, and as a professional, and as a city dweller or villager, and as an ethnic, religious or party representative of society.

The modern social structure of society is quite diverse. It can be represented as follows:

  • - ethnic component (ethnic structure);
  • - demographic component (demographic structure);
  • - settlement component (settlement structure);
  • - stratification component (stratification structure).

The components of the social structure are heterogeneous and depend on the level of development of society. For example, in primitive communal society there was not only a stratification component, but also a settlement component, since the emergence of the latter is associated with the allocation of the city as a central place for crafts and trade, its separation from the village. In this archaic social system there was no ranking according to economic, professional and other criteria.

The process of improving the components of the social structure of society and their correlation are also historical. In particular, the stratification component, if we approach it from the point of view of P.A. Sorokin, includes three layers: economic, political and professional, which are vertically ranked. It seems quite dynamic. For example, ranking by education: if at the beginning of the 20th century. there were several hundred specialties in which training was conducted in higher education, then at beginning of XXI centuries, there are already several thousand specialties in demand by society; accordingly, the stratification structure requires correlation.

Sorokin Pitirim Alexandrovich(1889-1968), the largest sociologist on the planet, thinker. Born in the village of Turya, Yarensky district, Vologda province, now Zheshart, Komi Republic. He studied at the Church Teachers' Seminary, for his social revolutionary views (in the Socialist Revolutionary Party with 1904 G.) in 1906 G. expelled from the seminary. His mother died when he was already a young man, his father began to drink heavily, and Pitirim and his brother became laborers. I became interested in reading the most varied literature that could be obtained. In 1907 he became a student of courses in St. Petersburg, after which he passed exams as an external student for 8 years of gymnasium. In 1909 he entered the Psychoneurological Institute, which had a department of sociology, headed alternately by P.I. Kovalevsky and De-Roberti, and in 1910 he transferred to the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, from which he graduated in 1914. He worked as Kovalevsky’s personal secretary, whose views largely determined his scientific activity as a sociologist. In 1917, he was the editor of the right-wing Socialist Revolutionary newspaper "Will of the People", personal secretary of the chairman of the Provisional Government of Russia A.F. Kerensky. Actively participated in the convening Constituent Assembly Russia (late 1917 - early 1918 G.), was elected a member from the Socialist Revolutionary Party. One of the initiators of the "Union for the Revival of Russia", the idea of ​​which was practically neutralized by the Bolsheviks. The Cheka was arrested several times and sentenced to death, but by luck (or pattern) this did not happen. When leaving P.A. Sorokin from the conclusion of A.B. Lunacharsky, the People's Commissar of Education, invited him to work in the People's Commissariat apparatus, but Sorokin refused, saying that he would study science. This statement, reported to Lenin, was followed by his immediate reaction, writing the article “Valuable Confessions of Pitirim Sorokin,” in which Lenin, with the unambiguousness characteristic of the Bolsheviks, criticized Sorokin’s position. Since 1918, Sorokin taught at Petrograd University, the scientific result of his work was the work “System of Sociology,” which he defended as a doctoral dissertation. At the same time, he worked on “The History of the Sociology of Russia in the 19th Century to the Present Day.” He was the founder and head of the first sociology department in Russia at this university, professor of sociology. Employee of the magazines "Economic Revival", "Artelnoye Delo". In 1922 V in accordance with the resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, he was expelled from the country with large group outstanding thinkers of Russia - major scientists, teachers, writers, artists who did not recognize the October Revolution 1917 He and his wife spent about a year in Berlin and Prague, gave lectures on the current situation in Russia and worked on “The Sociology of Revolution.” In the fall of 1923, at the invitation of American sociologists E. Hayes and E. Ross, he moved to the USA. IN 1924-1929 gg. is a professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota, where he wrote the classic Social Dynamics. IN 1929 was invited to Harvard University and founded the sociology department there in 1931, which he headed for 11 years and worked there until his retirement in 1959. During this time, the sons of the 32nd US President F. Roosevelt, the future 35th President of America J. Kennedy. In 1960, Sorokin was elected president of the American Sociological Association, which is completely natural. He is a major scientist, a world-famous sociologist, the author of many works and theoretical developments, including the concepts of social stratification and social mobility. Book "5ocia1 and cultural mobility" (1927 G., 1959) and now remains a classic work in which Scientific research social relations in various spheres of society and the reasons for their changes are revealed. There are theoretical works devoted to the analysis of Russian problems: “Russia and the USA” (1944), “Main features of the Russian nation in the 20th century” (1967). Once Pitirim Sorokin tried to get permission for a short visit to his homeland by asking members of the Soviet delegation (in particular, Osipov) who came to a sociological conference in the USA. Osipov tried to humanly facilitate this through the ideological department of the CPSU Central Committee, but after viewing his personal file Secretary General party by L. Brezhnev, on whose title was written in V. Lenin’s hand, categorically (under the sign death penalty) prohibiting P. Sorokin from staying in Russia, was refused and never returned to this issue.

Until the end of his days, Pitirim Aleksandrovich lived with his family - his wife and two sons - Sergei (professor, doctor of biology) and Peter in his home in Princeton, where he died after an illness on February 11, 1968.