Humanity. Society. Power

The Interrelationship of Human - Society as a Law of Social Development

Among the myriad connections that one must navigate, the "human-nature" and "human-society" relationships emerge as fundamental sources for the emergence and development of the social, encompassing anthropogenesis and sociogenesis—both integral aspects of this process.

These connections play a pivotal role in the formation and evolution of the social sphere, sharing significant commonalities. Both relationships possess an objective character, meaning their emergence does not hinge on the will or consciousness of any individual or humanity as a whole. Each connection belongs to the realm of social relations—those that did not exist, do not exist, and could not arise in nature. As previously noted, both serve as sources for the emergence of humans and society—the essential structural systems of the social domain. Neither is static; they are continuously evolving and in flux.

Simultaneously, each connection exhibits its own distinct characteristics. The "human-nature" connection, more accurately described as "nature-human," since humanity emerges from nature rather than the reverse, should be regarded as historically foundational. Researchers argue that "the first signs of sociality appear in primitive humans during the Paleolithic era, which began approximately 2 million years ago and ended about 10,000 to 20,000 years before our era. Throughout this vast period, the biological evolution of the being known as Homo Sapiens—wise human—gradually waned, making way for a burgeoning social evolution."

This development was intertwined with vital needs, which intensified as primitive society was rooted in foraging and the appropriation of nature’s bounty, the scarcity of which necessitated the movement of hominids or the exploration of alternative means to reproduce food and clothing. This eventually led to the creation of tools and the genesis of labor activity.

The second characteristic of the "human-nature" connection lies in its status as a subject-object relationship. Nature, of course, responds to the violence inflicted upon it—known as transformative activity—and often retaliates harshly, a reality increasingly felt by contemporary generations. Yet, this does not occur abruptly or because nature has supposedly awakened consciousness or a sense of dignity—qualities it undoubtedly lacks—but rather because humanity, frequently unaware of its actions, places nature and all living beings, including itself, on the brink of existence, triggering the objective mechanisms for self-preservation inherent within nature.

The third characteristic of the "human-nature" relationship is that it connects one of the structural elements of the social system to elements that lie outside this system, collectively forming a natural system, and thus is inherently less robust than the relationships between structural elements within the social system. The human creation of an artificial habitat perpetually and irreversibly encroaches upon the natural habitat, effectively consuming it, and thereby weakening the bond between humans and the "first nature." It is essential to recognize that the natural habitat—not only provides the material conditions for human existence but also serves as the object of specific aesthetic and moral relationships.

The fourth characteristic of the "human-nature" connection is that it serves as a foundation for the establishment of the social system itself and consequently for all other relationships intrinsic to it, including the "human-society" connection.

As for the "human-society" relationship, its primary characteristic is its dependency on the "human-nature" connection; without it, it could neither arise nor develop.

The second distinguishing feature of the "human-society" relationship is that it belongs to the category of the most complex social connections, specifically subject-object-subject relationships, that is, interrelations. On one hand, the human is a subject interacting with other similar subjects, forming a completely different entity—society—that qualitatively differs from previous formations. On the other hand, society, composed of interrelated individuals endowed with social consciousness that absorbs prior social experiences of practical activity, shapes the formation of future generations—the representatives of humanity yet to come.

The third characteristic of the "human-society" interrelation is its essential and necessary nature. Indeed, the existence of both the individual and society, and thus the social realm itself, would be utterly impossible without it. Without this connection, the social structure of society, its political system, and both the social and spiritual spheres could not take shape.

The fourth characteristic of the "human-society" relationship is that, independent of the will and consciousness of any individual or specific society, as well as humanity as a whole, it invariably repeats itself from generation to generation, acquiring a repetitive and stable nature.

All of the above suggests that the "human-society" connection, serving as significant, established, recurring, objective, and necessary, emerges as a law to which the social's formation and development are subject. This law manifests most vividly in the emergence and development of the social phenomenon known as power.